


Persona: Colors Flying High

by DONTSALTME69



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Friendship, Gen, It's Persona 5 you should know what to expect, MC is from Inaba, Mementos (Persona 5), Metaverse (Persona 5), Minor Injuries, Persona 5 Spoilers, Social Links | Confidants (Persona Series), The Velvet Room (Persona Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 60,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23216602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DONTSALTME69/pseuds/DONTSALTME69
Summary: It's the year 2018. After several major scandals and deaths, the Japanese government is holding an election for Prime Minister. Something that the fairly ordinary high-school student Akari Suzuki didn't really have much care about. At least, until she got arrested for a crime she didn't commit and have to move to Tokyo to go to the one school that would accept her with her record.And now she's dealing with a talking cat and the cognitive world. She really doesn't get paid enough for this shit.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	1. Break In to Break Out

This story is a work of fiction.

Similarities between characters or events to persons alive or dead are purely coincidental.

By choosing to continue from this point forth, you are agreeing to these words.

* * *

In the rafters of an obscenely oversized arcade, someone was making their way out of there. That someone was a girl, with messy chestnut brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing a black longcoat, with more belts than should be legally allowed underneath. She had dark blue gloves, which were gripping a suitcase in one hand, and a large knife in the other. A pistol was strapped to her hip. A black, vaguely bird-like domino mask partially covered her face.

"Ace, you're going to have head up to get out of here." A gruff male voice said through her earpiece. "Those bastards already have all the entrances around the lower floors cut off. We've almost gotten out ourselves."

"We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end." A young boy said. "Keep safe."

Ace yawned. "Is that all? I was expecting a grand heist. This is like takin' candy from a snail."

"Hey, keep yourself focused. Save all the boasting until after you get out of there." A girl's voice said. She sounded more like a punk compared to Ace.

"Not much longer before this whole job's finished, eh? Maybe we can go somewhere special after we're done." A boy's voice suggested. His voice was, a tad arrogant but still friendlyish. "I'll pay."

Ace jumped from platform to platform hanging from the ceiling, running for a balcony. She landed, smirking. 

Right before extremely muscular security guards blocked the door she was heading for. "There she is!" One of them shouted, before melting. It reformed into a large elephant holding an axe.

Ace smirked. "Well then, looks like it's time to fight." She tore off her mask, which exploded into blue fire. And behind her, her Persona was summoned. "Caulfield!"

The Persona, Caulfield, was androgynous, wearing a deep blue suit. It had a simple cap on, even if it had not much of face to hide (just a menacing smile), which had the text "CRAZY" on it. Physically, Caulfield was taller than Ace, and of average build otherwise, besides the dark bat-like wings. "Trickster, show them your true power." Caulfield said, speaking with a voice similar to Ace's own, but far more sinister.

"With pleasure. Ravage them, Brave Blade!" Ace made a wide sweeping gesture with her knife hand, commanding Caulfield to strike. Caulfield lunged, tearing into the elephant with a sadistic smile.

More guards rushed in, transforming into a variety of strange creatures. "Maeigaon!" She declared. Caulfield unleashed a massive omnidirectional blast of darkness, tearing the opposition to shreds.

Caulfield floated before Ace. "Your chance is coming, Trickster. When you make it out of this, be prepared to battle a foe beyond anything you've ever seen before."

"Ace, you better get moving! More guards are coming your way!" A boyish voice shouted.

"No problem. I've already got my escape plan thought out." Ace said, rushing through the door.

She sprinted through a small maintenance corridor, leaping over crates. She skidded to a stop, hiding behind a crate when she noticed another guard. This one was clearly normal, and that wasn't exactly good. 

"She pushed past the guards?" He asked, speaking through a walkie-talkie. "Find her!" He ran off, right past Ace. She got up and walked on ahead.

"There she is!" Another guard yelled, behind her. Ace simply sped up, pushing through another door.

She reached the main lobby, which was ridiculously large for an arcade; completely with a massive stained glass window. She hopped up onto a railing, sprinting along it towards the window. The guards fired their pistols at her, failing to hit their target. 

Ace stood in front of the window, giving a cocky salute. "See ya." She leapt backwards, as the guards fired at her; shattering the window. She jumped through, surrounded by shards of colorful glass lit by the moon. 

"So reckless..." A calm girl's voice remarked.

"That's Ace for ya." Another boy's voice, more vulgar sounding in comparison, said.

"Always going overboard if she can get away with it..." Another girl, more reserved in tone, added.

Ace landed, smirking. 

For all of a second, before she saw a practical sea of police cars standing before her. "Give it up! We have you surrounded!" One of the officers shouted.

Ace bolted, rushing over to a building and grabbing onto the fire escape's ladder.

As it turned out, they had someone up there in case she tried that. She got the butt of an assault rifle smashed into her face, knocking her down onto the pavement.

She heard one thing before she blacked out.

"You were sold out."

* * *

Ace woke up, handcuffed to a chair in a room. Inside the police station, she presumed.

"Looks like you're finally awake." A man remarked. "Good."

"Are you sure you're gonna want to try anything with that security camera watching?" Ace weakly asked. Wow, she felt like shit. And she felt even worse when she got kicked in the stomach, crashing onto the floor.

The man, her interrogator, picked up a clipboard. "Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons, manslaughter... Talk about the works. And all from a sixteen year old girl like you. Let me guess, you probably enjoyed every minute of it, didn't you?"

Ace paused, trying to think. She was barely lucid enough to even process the question, let alone answer it. 

He uncuffed Ace, before handing her a clipboard. "Sign here. It's a confession, under your name."

Ace scanned through it. Basically, it was a guilty plea to all the previously mentioned crimes. She took a pen, smiling a little as she wrote down her name, Akari Suzuki.

"By the way, I've heard someone else is coming by to talk to you. A prosecutor. Get over there and sit down." The interrogator pointed to a table in the middle of the room, before leaving.

* * *

After several agonizing minutes, the door finally opened, and the prosecutor in question walked in.

He was of fairly average build (which still towered over Ace), and was definitely pushing into his forties by this point. His hair was black, but was greying. He had a small pair of glasses resting on his nose, and was wearing the expected suit and tie.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't expect it to be you. At least, I was hoping it wasn't you." He said. His voice, while rather deep, showed his horror at Ace's injuries. He noticed a syringe on the floor, an empty one. "That's how far they're willing to go?" he quietly questioned.

"He-hello, Fujinara-san." Ace muttered. Damn, that kick really hurt. 

"You can cut the formalities, Suzuki. I've been told about what you've done. And, I want to hear the full story. I can't exactly assemble a case for prosecution until I can figure out your methods." Fujinara said.

"Of course you wouldn't." Ace said, slightly smirking. 

"True. There's no way I, or anyone for that matter, could be completely convinced of such a 'world' by reading the reports. It's good to know you're coherent, at least." He pushed up his glasses. "Now, let's get down to business. I don't have much time to speak with you. Where and when did you discover that world? How is it possible to steal someone's heart? Tell me your account of everything, starting from the very beginning."

Ace froze, paralyzed by throbbing pain for a moment. "With pleasure, Eikichi Fujinara." She said, smiling in spite of her pain. "It all started in April."


	2. Hymn of the Soul

4/9/2018 (Monday)

"We will be arriving at Shibuya shortly." The intercom's speakers went off, saying a somewhat familiar pre-recorded message. "Thank you for riding with us today."

Akari Suzuki woke up to those words, stretching. She had short and messy chestnut brown hair, and she was wearing a beige jacket over a white t-shirt and a black skirt. Her eyes were brown. She overheard a conversation that seemed, rather oddly precognitive of what was going to end up happening soon. 

"What, you serious?" A girl said. "Mental shutdowns?"

"It's the truth! How else do you explain all those crazy incidents?" Another girl said.

"A normal nervous breakdown? Literally anything else? You really love your occult stuff, don't you?"

Eventually, the train pulled into Shibuya, and Akari stepped off it. She checked her phone, searching up which line would take her to Yongen-Jaya. She pouted, thinking about the circumstances that led to this.

_"Damn brat! I'll sue!"_

She stepped out into the Shibuyan afternoon, after finding out she'd need to go outside. It was, a little overwhelming in all honesty. She'd grown up in a much smaller town in the country, so the monstrous skyscrapers and such of the Tokyo were new to her. She checked her phone again, looking for the directions. Her phone beeped, and the screen showed a weird red eye icon over the map.

Time froze. Literally, all but Akari had completely froze like someone had hit the pause button. Across the Square from her, a massive blue inferno exploded into life, melding into a humanoid figure. She couldn't make much out, before it suddenly sprouted wings.

And then, it faded and time resumed. Akari's sheer panic from seeing an actual demon (at least, that was her best guess to what it was), got her a few odd looks.

* * *

Some time later, she finally arrived in Yongen-Jaya, where she'll be staying for the year. Cramped is probably the best word to describe Yongen-Jaya, with its narrow streets and alleys. It did seem like a nice place, despite that.

"Starting today, Gin Mori is going to be taking care of me." She said to herself. Gin Mori was, a friend of her Dad's? Akari was never really sure what was up with their relationship. The occasional phone call around her birthday, and that was it.

She walked around for a few minutes, got lost, and then eventually ended up asking for directions. But she did eventually get there (which honestly felt like an achievement in good luck after the last month of terrible luck for her).

Gin Mori's house was, painfully generic. It was squeezed in between two other buildings, had a small gate blocking people from marching straight up to the door, and had two stories.

She rang the doorbell sitting next to the gate, and the door opened in moments. "Welcome! You must be Akari-chan." Gin Mori stepped out. He was a fairly old man, with greying hair and and a bright smile. He was wearing a pink apron over a light blue shirt and black pants. "Your timing couldn't be better, I just heading out to where you'll be staying."

"I'm not staying here?" Akari asked.

"There's, a little problem with you staying there." Gin plainly stated, with a look in his eyes that was certainly unnerving. Akari took it as a message to not press on, while sincerely hoping her caretaker wasn't actually a serial killer.

* * *

Gin led her to a small coffee shop, named "Salinger" in English according to the sign.

The place was, quaint, cozy, and was a tad retro. Polished wood counters, an old payphone sitting near the door, a small kitchen, and a staircase in the back. 

"Welcome to Salinger, the finest coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya." Gin said, smiling.

"Isn't it the only one?" Akari pointed out.

Gin chuckled. "That's true, but I pride myself on my work. Your room's up in attic. It's... a little messy, since I've never had much need to go up there. I hope you'll be able to settle yourself in well enough. There's some sheets for your bed, but it's up to you to clean everything else up."

Akari sighed. "Anything else I should know?"

"I'll be driving you over to Shujin tomorrow so you can get acquainted with the faculty and all. And, I offer my condolences about what happened." Gin said, bowing. "Getting arrested is never a good experience, especially for someone so young."

"Please don't talk about it." Akari hissed. 

"Alright. I expect you to behave yourself when I lock up at night." Gin said, as Akari marched up to the attic to go get settled in.

* * *

Messy, as it turned out, was quite the apt description of the attic. A thin (or in some places, thick) film of dust covered almost everything in the room. It was fairly spacious, if it wasn't for a lot of the junk that was spread around haphazardly. A bed was sitting in the corner, one of the only clean things in the room. Akari was standing next to a shelf, with a variety of random crap sitting on it (and a cardboard box holding some of her things from back home).

She sighed. ' _Looks like I'll be staying in this pigsty for the time being._ ' Akari frowned, walking over to the bed and sitting down. She checked her phone, only see something odd.

"Didn't I delete this thing?" She said to herself, as the red eye icon was sitting among her apps. She deleted it. 

After an hour of mindlessly surfing the internet, she went to bed, hoping tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Akari awakened. That was normal (most human beings wake up after going to sleep, obviously), but everything else was strange. One: she was in a prison cell. Two: she was wearing some old-timey prisoner's uniform. Three: she was in a prison cell. Four: she had handcuffs (with long chains that barely impeded her movement) on her. Five: SHE WAS INSIDE A PRISON CELL.

Needless to say, she was starting to panic from this. She practically leapt to her feet, looking out the prison bars to find this bizarre fever dream was only just beginning. Sitting behind a desk was an old balding man, with the longest nose Akari had ever seen. And standing by the bars were two young girls, both wearing blue uniforms with eyepatches on opposite eyes.

"So, you're finally awake." One of the girls said, the one with an eyepatch over her left eye.

"Inmate, our master wishes to speak with you! Listen closely!" The other one, with the eyepatch on her right, said.

"Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room." the old man said. His voice was deep, very deep. "Your body in the real world is currently asleep. You are merely experiencing this as a dream."

Akari just stared in completely confusion. Her mind was a whirlwind of questions, so she decided to voice one of them. "Buh?" She was truly a master of articulate sentences.

The old man chuckled a little. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance. This place, this Velvet Room, exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter. A place where only those bound by a 'contract' may enter."

Once again, Akari brought her A-game to acquiring more information. "Buh?" It was impossible to not be pressured by her hard-hitting words.

"I am Igor." The old man said. "Remember it well. I summoned you here to speak of important matters, matters involving your very life."

"Wh-what matters?" Akari was really on a roll today. This time, she managed to actually say words. Definitely an improvement.

"It is rather intriguing that the room is appearing this way. It reflects the state of your own heart. And it seems, you feel imprisoned." Igor dryly chuckled "You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate. And in the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."

"Ruin?" Akari asked, stomach churning as she envisioned the horrible possibilities.

"I speak of the end of everything." Igor explained, confirming and exceeding Akari's worst fears. "However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated' towards freedom. Your own... and others'. That is your only means to defy ruin. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

Akari stared, trying to process that information just given to her.

"You didn't say no." Igor smiled. "Judging by your response, I will take this answer as a 'yes' for the time being. Those two are your wardens. To the right, Caroline; to your left, Justine."

The one with the eyepatch on her right eye, Caroline, spoke up first. "You can struggle all you want about this as much as you want." She plainly said, slightly smirking as her companion spoke.

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates." Justine said. "We are also you collaborators... as long as you remain obedient."

"I shall explain their roles on another occasion. The night seems to be waning. Take your time to understand this place. We will meet again, eventually..." Igor said.

Akari's world faded to black.

* * *

4/10/2018 (Tuesday)

Akari awakened. Thankfully, it was in her new bed this time, instead of that prison cell. She laid around for a few minutes, trying to figure out what the hell was up with that dream. Maybe just stress getting to her. That's what she decided to go with, for the sake of not having a breakdown trying to puzzle it out.

She got dressed in the Shujin uniform and headed down to see Gin.

"You're finally awake. I was just about to come up." Gin said. "I made curry for breakfast."

As he said, there was a plate of curry sitting on the bar. "Thanks." Akari said, sitting down to eat.

* * *

Shujin Academy was, a school. It seemed prestigious (it was the only reason they were allowing Akari in, it would make them seem even more amazing if they could turn this delinquent into a model student), with the various awards and trophies the school and its students have gotten over the years sitting in display cases.

Out in the yard, two teachers were discussing the latest transfer student.

"So, that new transfer student's in your class?" The gym teacher, Rika Kobayashi, asked. She was wearing a tracksuit right now, with the school's emblem on the sleeve.

"Yep." Akari's homeroom teacher, Sayaka Miyazaki, nodded. She was wearing a soft blue dress. "I hope she's going to behave herself."

"You sure you're up to the challenge? Taking in a delinquent like that's gonna be stressful..."

"We'll wait and see."

* * *

4/11/18 (Wednesday)

The next day, Akari was heading off to Shujin, walking from the train station.

And then it started raining. And she hadn't brought an umbrella. She sighed. "Great." She ran under an awning, trying to wring out her skirt. It was really pouring out there. Getting to school was going to be miserable. She pulled out her phone, noticing that freaky eye app was back. 

A boy skidded to a stop next to her, similarly soaked. He had blue eyes and blond hair, and was dressed in the Shujin uniform, albeit with a red jacket over it. "Jeez, it's really pourin' out here." He said.

A car, an expensive sedan, came to a stop in front of them. The driver, Rika Kobayashi, rolled down her window. "Hey, you shouldn't sit out in the rain, Shinji-Chan!" She said. "Hop in!"

'Shinji-Chan' did as ordered, completely silent. The last thing Akari saw of him before Kobayashi drove off was an expression of pure despair on his face.

Akari didn't have long to ponder what was going on before another girl ran up, panting from exhaustion and mumbling something about a 'pervy teacher', a 'queen', a 'castle' and a 'knee injury'. The girl was a tad on the short end, with long black hair, glasses (arguably her most defining feature), and onyx eyes. She was also dressed in the Shujin uniform.

"Are you okay?" Akari asked, a little concerned for the girl's health. Her phone vibrated in her hand, but she didn't really take much notice of it.

"Physically? I'm fine. Mentally?" Glasses glared at Kobayashi's car as it turned a corner. "Pissed as shit!" She then noticed what Akari was wearing. "You go to Shujin?"

"Today's my first day." Akari answered.

"Well, you're gonna be late at this rate." Glasses said, starting to head down an alley. "Luckily for you, I know a shortcut."

Akari followed, deciding that this girl was _probably_ trustworthy.

* * *

As they ran through the alleys on the way to Shujin, Akari felt the atmosphere change. The very air seemed to weigh down on her a little, minor but very noticeable.

They came out of an alley, Shujin straight ahead.

"What the hell?" Glasses questioned.

What should have been Shujin had been replaced with a prison. Or a castle. Or both. It was both regal and ugly as shit, an awful mishmash between two styles that melded as well as peanut butter and human bile.

"We did take the right route, right?" Akari asked.

"I've went this way at least a hundred times." Glasses said. "I'm pretty sure I'd notice whatever that place is."

Akari noticed the sign out front, which said "Shujin Academy". "I guess we should head inside to see what's going on?"She suggested with a shrug.

"Might as well."

* * *

Inside was a grand foyer, with stairs leading up further into the castle.

Glasses was baffled. "I was thinking this was a prank. I'm not thinking that anymore."

"If it is, they put a lotta effort into it." Akari said.

"Halt, intruders!" A guard with a cartoonishly muscular upper body shouted. "You are trespassing on our queen's sacred ground."

The duo was surrounded by guards in moments, and then they were knocked out.


	3. Last Surprise

4/11/2018 (Wednesday)

"You okay?" Akari heard a voice as she came to. She slowly got up, looking around. She was in a prison cell with Glasses. Thankfully, this cell was quite a bit larger than the one in that Velvet Room. There was also a whip, of all things, hanging on a post outside the cell.

"I'm fine." Akari said. 

"Well, that's one thing we don't have to worry about. How much do you remember?" Glasses asked. She was searching the cell for any sort of escape route.

"We walked in... and then saw those freaky guard dudes? I think one of them knocked me unconscious." Akari said. 

"Same." Glasses froze, hearing footsteps. "Guards."

Both of them immediately got to frantically searching for any way to get out of there or deal with the guards. Nothing would be helpful.

"Hmph. Snooping as usual, Shirogane?" a woman asked, causing the pair to freeze. It was Kobayashi. At least, that's what she looked like. Akari was fairly certain Kobayashi didn't have glowing yellow eyes, an echo to her voice, or that BDSM gear/prison warden hybrid outfit. She was standing in front of the cell, with two guards flanking her.

"You're the one in charge here?!" Glasses (Shirogane, apparently) exclaimed. She seemed terrified.

"And the criminal transfer student." Kobayashi(?) said. "Like I thought, scum loves company."

"Scum? The only scum around here is _you_." 

"Ohohoho! So, miss Track Traitor wants to pick a fight? There's only one proper response to that." Kobayashi(?) opened the cell door, walking in with her guards. "Execution. Start with the criminal."

One of the guards instantly picked Akari up by the neck, pinning her against the wall. The other raised their sword, pointing it at her stomach. She struggled, finding it impossible to break the guard's iron grip.

Shirogane tackled the guard pinning Akari to the wall. "Run!" she yelled. Akari sprinted for the door, only to get sucker-punched by Kobayashi(?). Akari laid on the ground in pain.

"So, you want to take her place?" Kobayashi(?) sadistically smiled. "If that's what you want, Shirogane, I can give it to you. Guards, make sure the other one doesn't escape."

Kobayashi(?) walked over to Shirogane, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her up with one hand. She then kneed Shirogane in the stomach. 

Akari stumbled to her feet, before one of the guards threw her against the wall. They both pointed their swords at her neck, preventing her from even having the slightest chance of escaping. She could only watch in horror as Kobayashi(?) continued to brutalize Shirogane.

"You know," Kobayashi(?) punched Shirogane in the cheek. "If you hadn't rebelled, I might have let the track team survive for a little while longer."

" _Bullshit_..." Shirogane hissed. " _You were, just looking for an excuse_... _to do it_..."

"Maybe." Kobayashi(?) stomped on Shirogane's foot.

Akari resigned herself to her fate. Shirogane was going to die, and she was next.

" _Are you simply going to watch and resign yourself to the end? Forsake her, in her darkest hour? Death awaits you both if you do nothing! Was your previous decision a mistake then?_ " A voice, which sounded like Akari's own but far more sinister, spoke to her. No one else seemed to hear it. " _Well? Answer me!_ "

"No. No, it wasn't." Akari muttered.

" _Very well then. Let us form a contract. I am thou, thou are I. Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and unleash thy rage upon all who stand in thy way! Show the strength of a will to bring justice to all, though thou may be chained to Hell itself!_ " 

A wave of power blew away the guards, and drew everyone's attention. "What the?" Kobayashi(?) froze in shock, completely caught off guard by this new development. A black bird-like domino mask appeared on Akari's face, and she smirked. Akari tore it off, tearing off part of her face in the process. Blue fire engulfed her, burning away her clothes to reveal a new ensemble. 

A black coat, with a white shirt covered in black belts underneath. She had dark blue gloves, which held a large knife that had appeared from nowhere. Her boots had short heels, going up to just below her knee. The entire outfit, from top to bottom, screamed "rogue".

"Caulfield! Ravage them!" Akari called out, summoning a demon. At least, that's what it looked like. It was taller than Akari, wearing what seemed to a dark blue suit. It had a cap with the word "CRAZY" on it, which partially covered what little of a face it had. It only had a maniacal smile. Blue fire, with chains rattling in it, radiated around them as Caulfield spread its bat-like wings.

"Guards! Destroy her!" Kobayashi(?) ordered, scrambling backwards in fear.

Shirogane simply stared in shock. "Woah..."

The guards seized up for a moment, before suddenly melting. They reformed in floating jack-o-lantern ghosts, trying their best to look intimidating.

" _Show them what you can do._ " Caulfield said.

"With pleasure! Ravage them, Caulfield!" Akari made a wide sweeping motion with her arm. Caulfield unleashed a blast of darkness, destroying one of the jack-o-lanterns instantly.

Caulfield maniacally laughed. "This power is now yours to control! Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart's content!"

Akari rushed up to the other jack-o-lantern, stabbing it with her knife. It leaked dark liquids, which pooled on the floor to Shirogane's growing shock and horror. Akari smirked, maniacally laughing as she ripped the knife out and stabbed the jack-o-lantern again. And again, and again. By the time she was finished, the entire pumpkin was basically a pulp, which melted into dark slime. 

No more monsters were left, and Akari and Shirogane just had one last threat. Kobayashi(?), who had her back to far wall of the cell in sheer fear of Akari's new power. "Let's get out of here." Akari said, rushing out the cell door. Shirogane followed right behind her, and they shut the door. And then locked it, using the key that Shirogane had apparently grabbed during the battle.

A burst of blue fire surrounded Akari, and her clothes were back to her Shujin Academy uniform. She mentally questioned it for a moment, before getting to running. The guards were probably going to be on red alert, and they needed to get out of there. 

* * *

Akari and Shirogane stopped at a dead end, near a drawbridge. That they had no clue how to operate, if they could operate it. "Well, I'm pretty sure that there was another route we could take back by the other bridge." Akari said, panting from exhaustion. Shirogane wasn't holding up too well either, but was probably in better shape than Akari was.

"Hey, I can help." A boyish voice said, from one of the cells nearby. 

Akari and Shirogane walked over to check the cell, only to be surprised by what they saw.

A strange, cat? It looked like humanoid, super-deformed, cat bandit. Wielding an axe that looked far too big for his size. "A cat? Right, so when did we leave Silent Hill and move onto the set of Pokémon?" Shirogane questioned, baffled by the sight before her eyes. And she thought the ghost that fought for Akari was weird (it still was).

"I'm not a Pokémon! I'm a human, and my name is Morgana!" the cat said, giving Shirogane a look of indignant rage.

"I think you mean cat." Akari said. "I'm a human."

"I lost my true form, and most of my memories, in the distortions in this place. That's why I'm here, to investigate into a way to get my real form back. But all these cognitions make things difficult, and I kind of got captured." Morgana weakly chuckled.

"Cognitions? Distortions? You're dropping a lot of information on his really quickly." Akari said. "Where even are we? The sign said it was our school."

"That's because it actually is your school. Well, to be specific, how that Kobayashi woman sees it. It's her cognition of what it is. Think of it this way, to you I look like a cat. But to someone else, I might look like something else. _Like a Pokémon_." Morgana grumbled that last part. "In this world, I call it a Palace, those interpretations become reality. But only according to what the ruler sees. So, for example, Kobayashi sees your school as a prison or castle she's in charge of."

"So, we're in Kobayashi's mind palace?" Shirogane questioned. "You know what? I'm just going to roll with it because of all the other nonsense." she threw her hands into the air. "Can you help us get out of here?"

"You got it, Glasses! Just get me out of here, and I'll lend a helping hand. I do want something in return later, but we can talk about that later." Morgana said.

Akari opened the cell door, letting the weird cat walk out. Right as more guards started to arrive, having finally tracked down our heroes. In a burst of blue fire, her coat reappeared, knife materializing in hand. 

"So, you can use a Persona too." Morgana noted. "I'm liking you more and more, Messy Hair." he stepped forward, joining Akari to face off against the guards. "El Coyote, show your might!" he called to the heavens, summoning a muscular spirit of his own, wielding a rapier. It drew a C in the air with four strokes, before pointing the blade to the sky.

The guards melted, reforming into more creatures. Merhorses and fairies, to be specific.

Akari tore off her mask, summoning Caulfield to attack. "Ravage them!" she declared, as Caulfield unleashed a dark blast upon the merhorse.

Morgana sighed. "You're new to this, but I think you can do better than thought. Watch this. El Coyote, Zio!" El Coyote drew a C with its sword, dropping a thunderbolt onto the merhorse. It collapsed onto its side, shrieking in pain. "You see, most Shadows have some sort of weakness. And that nets you another free shot to wreak havoc." punctuating his words, he ran up and swung his axe into the merhorse, decapitating the creature and killing it instantly.

Akari followed Morgana's lead, blasting the fairy with darkness. It collapsed in pain, and Akari walked up to it and stabbed her knife into it. She tore it out, kicking the fairy away. It melted into nothing, leaving our heroes safe for the time being.

"Woah..." Shirogane stared in disbelief. She was probably never going to get used to seeing this shit. "You can use that crazy power too?"

"It's called a Persona." Morgana explained, as Akari's clothes disappeared in a burst of blue flame and were replaced with the Shujin uniform again. "Though, her clothes changing back and forth like that isn't normal. I'd say her powers aren't exactly stable yet. Anyway, a Persona is basically a sort of manifestation of one's will in the cognitive world, which people like us use to kick serious amounts of butt. I can explain more later. You guys still wanna get out of here, right?"

"Right! How exactly do we go about doing that?" Shirogane asked.

"Well, Glasses, it's simple." Morgana walked up to the drawbridge, or more specifically, a statue sitting next to it. He pulled on the jaw, causing the entire bridge to come down. "See? I saw them do that while I was imprisoned."

"Are you going to call us by nicknames for this entire breakout?" Shirogane questioned.

"Well, you haven't exactly told me your names."

"I'm Akari Suzuki." Akari said.

"Haruko Shirogane. No relation to any detective princes." Shirogane said.

"And we should probably get going. Follow me, I know the way out of here." Morgana ran off, with a cartoonish blur where his feet should be as he rushed for the way out.

* * *

Morgana led them to a dead-end room near the entrance, with a large air vent in the upper portion of the wall. "Here's our stop. Air vent. Going in and out through the front door would attract some, unwanted attention." he said, hopping up to the vent and pulling off the grate. "C'mon! Let's go before any guards show up."

The girls followed, arriving just outside the main entrance alongside Morgana. "So, what do we do now?" Haruko asked. 

Morgana shrugged. "Don't ask me. You guys got here on your own, so I guess you should retrace your steps? I've gotta stay here though. There's some investigating I need to deal with. And hey, I think we could form a partnership in the future. If we have things we both want." With a salute, the strange cat ran off to go continue his investigation.

The girls headed off, hoping to get out of this crazy dimension ASAP.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, they felt a sort of shift in the air pressure, and Akari's phone went off.

"You have now returned to the real world." A robotic, feminine, voice said.

"The real world?" Haruko questioned for a moment, before shaking her head. "I'd say that was pretty real."

Akari shrugged. "But it was in Kobayashi's mind, or whatever Morgana said."

"Hey!" A police officer said, walking up to the two. "Shouldn't you two be in school?"

Haruko seemed to freeze for a moment in recognition of the officer, before awkwardly laughing. "There's a really good explanation for that, officer, you see, we-"

"We got lost on our way and got caught up in some drama." Akari lied. Well, not really a lie. Just, not giving all the facts of what happened. "Come on, Haruko, let's get going." She grabbed Haruko's arm, pulling her along as she walked to Shujin.

* * *

Akari finally let go of Haruko once they got to the steps in front of the academy. 

Haruko was panting from exhaustion. "Man... I'm really out of shape..." She complained, before noticing someone on the steps looking at her. Kobayashi, thankfully not wearing that atrocious outfit from the Palace. 

"Oh, hello there." Kobayashi said. "Shouldn't you two be in class? Especially the transfer student? It is her first day. Did you keep her up?" 

"We kinda slowed each other down." Haruko said, glaring at the volleyball coach with pure disdain. "Do you mind leaving us alone?"

"Okay, Shirogane!" Kobayashi said, with feigned cheer. Before she turned around, she paused upon noticing Akari. "Did we meet somewhere before? I swear I've seen you personally before." 

Akari shrugged. "Maybe you noticed me when I was here yesterday?" She suggested. 

"Oh well," Kobayashi shrugged, walking away. "Don't let me catch you skipping class again!"

"I hate her." Haruko hissed, the moment Kobayashi was out of sight. "Faking all that cheer, and being a total bitch everywhere else."

Akari nodded. If that Palace really was Kobayashi's view of the world... she didn't even want to think about what might actually be going on. "See each other after school?" She suggested.

"Meet me up on the roof." Haruko said.

* * *

Akari awkwardly stood in front of her class (class 2-B), who were all staring at her.

"So... Suzuki-san had to deal with some personal issues, so she'll be joining us late." The homeroom teacher, Miss Miyazaki, said. "Say hello to the class, Suzuki-san."

"Umm, hello there." Akari bowed. "I'm Akari Suzuki, pleased to meet you all."

"There's an empty seat in front of Taro." Miyazaki said.

Akari took her seat, taking note of the whispering of her classmates.

"Isn't she that crazy kid?"

"Yeah, she got arrested for something."

"I think it was assault."

"Wow."

"And she gets to sit in front of Kobayshi's pet."

That last statement caught Akari off-guard. That was certainly something to look into.

"Bull..." The kid behind Akari, Taro, muttered. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and seemed fairly muscular. He wore a red vest over his school uniform. She then realized that he was the boy that Kobayashi gave a ride to school.

* * *

Once school let out, Akari went up to the roof, where Haruko was waiting for her.

"Hey, Akari! You made it." Haruko waved, sitting on a spare desk that was left on the roof. "Don't worry about somebody catching us. Nobody really checks up here, and I doubt anybody but 'Stick Up His Butt'-san is gonna care."

"So, uh... why didja wanna meet up here?" Akari asked.

"Well," Haruko adjusted her glasses, trying her darnedest to look cool. "The reason is twofold. One: I want to talk to you about this morning. And two: I don't know what you like so... I didn't wanna disappoint by dragging you along for my nerdy-ass interests."

Akari mentally noted Haruko probably had no other friends besides her. "Yeah... that whole thing with Morgana happened, right?"

"I remember it. You remember it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a shared hallucination. So... I guess it has to be real." Haruko said. "Hey, tomorrow, let's try to find our way back in." she offered a hand. "I want to see what that was all about."

Akari shook Haruko's hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akari's Phantom Thief outfit was primarily inspired by Joker's own. There were some alterations to make it semi-unique, but it's still Joker's in the end.
> 
> Caulfield is a reference to the protagonist of "The Catcher in the Rye", Holden Caulfield. He's considered a symbol of teenage rebellion and angst (according to Wikipedia), and fits in as a Persona 5 style Persona. Combat wise, it's Arsene from the original game.
> 
> Her All-Out Attack quote is: "Curtains closed."
> 
> Morgana's new Persona, El Coyote, is named after a character fairly similar to El Zorro. Which fits in with user being the alternate universe version of the Morgana. Morgana's altered personality, choice of weapon, and element don't have any special reason to them. It does about the same things as Zorro did in the original, albeit with lightning instead of wind. 
> 
> His All-Out Attack quote is still: "Mission accomplished."


	4. Awakening

4/12/18 (Thursday)

Akari and Haruko were gathered outside Shujin, ready to reenter Kobayshi's Palace. One small problem...

Neither of them could figure out how to get back in. "Maybe we could try going back the way we came?" Akari suggested.

"We tried that four times already." Haruko grumbled. "And it's not like we can go ask for directions into someone's brain."

Akari paused in thought. "Or maybe we can."

"If you're suggesting we talk to Kobayashi, I _will_ punch you."

"Hear me out. Remember how we first met? I was messing with this freaky app that popped up on my phone a couple days ago, when you came up to me. And you-"

"Were ranting about her." Haruko said, realization dawning on her. "Give me your phone."

Akari pulled out her phone, instantly getting it snatched out of her hand by Haruko. "Wait..." She pulled out her phone, confused. "That same app popped up on my phone this morning. I could have sworn I deleted it though."

"It did that to me too." Akari said. "I deleted the darn thing twice."

"Well, let's see what it can do." Haruko booted up the app on Akari's phone. "Sweet! It's got a search history. At least this thing had someone competent on the dev team. Would you like to do the honors?"

Akari clicked on a button to begin navigation. The world melted around them, distorting into the Kobayshi's cognition of the world.

* * *

Once the distortions settled, the duo was in front of the prison castle that was Kobayshi's cognition of Shujin.

And Akari was wearing that coat that she got with her Persona, much to Haruko's confusion.

"No fair! Why do you get your crazy awesome outfit while I'm stuck with my uniform?"

Akari's mind went into overdrive, trying to determine her response. Should she give her best guess? Should she reassure Haruko that she'll get a cool outfit? Should she try to distract Haruko? Two words came into her mind, the _perfect_ response. "You jelly?"

Haruko scowled, preparing her indignant retort. At least, until a certain cat-human landed between the girls.

"I see you two've come back." Morgana said. 

"Morgana!" Akari cheered, hugging the cat-human. "I was hoping to run into you."

Morgana pulled himself out of Akari's surprisingly strong grip, dusting himself off. "You wanted to explore this place some more?" He guessed.

Haruko nodded. "I really couldn't not come back. This world is far too interesting to not return to."

"I can definitely see that." Morgana said. "I'm also guessing that vendetta you have with Kobayashi doesn't exactly hurt." 

Haruko growled at the mention of Kobayashi.

"Let's, uh, head inside." Akari said before Haruko could say or do something stupid. 

"Follow me!" Morgana said, running ahead.

* * *

They followed Morgana into the castle (or prison, it was basically both) through the same passage they got out of last time they were here.

"This way." he urged them to follow, pointing down the hall away from the main lobby. At the end of the hall was a door. Just a normal-looking door, that fit just fine in with the rest of the place's decor.

Heading inside, they found a small side room with a table and quite a few chairs. It seemed to melt away for a moment, changing into a classroom for a moment, before returning to normal.

"What the? You guys saw that, right?" Haruko said.

"This is a safe room." Morgana explained. "It's sort of like a place where there's a significant 'gap' in the ruler's cognition."

"Like a classroom that she'd never be in for more than a couple seconds." Haruko realized. "Fascinating." 

"It's really somethin'." Akari said, watching as the room shifted from storage room to classroom and back to storage room. "Morgana, you got any idea which way we should go?"

"I don't know what you want to see." Morgana pointed out.

"Something interesting?" Akari suggested. "Anything in the basement we didn't see last time?"

"Well... I did find another way into the dungeons that didn't lead to anywhere you guys would've been in." Morgana said. "I didn't want to go down there without backup."

Haruko pulled something out of her bag. "Before we go, I did get some supplies."

"That's a gun." Akari flatly said, caught off-guard by Haruko casually whipping a pistol out of her bag.

"It's a model." Haruko corrected. "But it looks pretty real from a distance. If we can't fight, we could point it at a bad guy to scare them. I also brought snacks and water bottles."

"Wow, you actually came semi-prepared." Morgana said, surprised. "And I think that gun's going to be a lot more useful than you think."

* * *

Morgana brought them out of the safe room, over just outside of what appeared to be a dining room. It was a lot bigger than any dining room has a right to be, and the torture devices on the walls were questionable. A single guard stood inside.

"Akari, take the gun." Morgana ordered. "And then shoot the guard."

Akari did as ordered, even with her confusion, not expecting much.

When the gun fired an actual bullet and shot a hole in the guard, she was definitely shocked. "Haruko, how did you get this thing?"

"I bought it from an airsoft shop." Haruko flatly answered, staring at the guard as he collapsed into a pool of his own black blood. "I'm fairly certain it didn't even have a place to put bullets, let alone be able to actually shoot something."

"This world is made from cognition." Morgana explained. "So if it looks like it can shoot something, it can. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Neat and terrifying." Haruko said. "Please give us a heads up before you start giving us lessons that involve things that could kill somebody."

Morgana gave her a cocky smile. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Making sure nobody gets shot." Haruko hissed.

"Right... so I guess we should head onward?" Akari suggested.

* * *

Pressing onward was easy, between Akari's surprising aptitude for using her Persona and Morgana's experience with El Coyote's power, the guards posed no threat. And with Haruko using the gun if anything came near her, even she was safe.

What they found was a different story. It wasn't a physical threat to them in any sense of the word, but it was horrifying, and raised questions about what's actually going on in the real world.

"That's the volleyball team..." Haruko muttered. She knew things couldn't be good for them with Kobayashi in charge, but this was far worse than she thought. 

Inside the cells in this part of the dungeons was Kobayashi's cognitions of her star volleyball team, going through "training" that could be better described as torture. Being forced to run on a treadmill for hours on end without water, being hit with hundreds of volleyballs as punishment, and that was just what they could see.

"I'm gonna fucking _kill_ her..." Haruko hissed, clenching her fists.

"Calm down, Haruko." Morgana said. "There's better ways to stop her besides outright murder. Even if this is despicable." He shuddered to think of being in those players' shoes.

"Hey, how about we get some pictures of these people so we can find them in the real world?" Akari suggested, reaching for her phone. And then pouting when she couldn't find the thing.

Haruko sighed, pulling her's out to take some pictures. "Phone's not letting me do it." She said, staring at the screen as it gave her the most bizarre error message she'd ever seen. "What the hell even _is_ a 'Cognitive Psuedo-Psientific Kernel Error'? I'm pretty sure that doesn't even apply to a camera."

"Just try to remember their faces, okay?" Morgana suggested. "I'm hearing some chatter up above about intruders. We probably don't have much time to stick around."

* * *

Not long after, the three made their way back up. They had to get out soon, before the guards made it impossible to escape without a fight.

They made it into the foyer, almost home free.

"You didn't honestly think you could escape so easily, did you?" Kobayashi taunted, standing atop the stairs to the upper floors. Guards rushed in through every door, completely surrounding our heroes. "Really, Shirogane, you should know I'm always a step ahead of you. I knew you'd come back to my castle. I knew you'd try bringing your friends as backup. I knew you'd endanger them. All because you _can't_ let it go."

Haruko instantly aimed the gun at Kobayashi, firing three rounds at her in an attempt to shut her up. Two guards jumped in the way, taking the bullets. "You tore the track team apart out of spite!"

"Why would I do that? You did it just fine for me." Kobayashi smiled at Haruko's rage. "Kill them. And this time, succeed with the job."

The guards all melted simultaneously, pooling together and reforming into three red knights on blood-spattered horses. 

"Caulfield!" Akari shouted, tearing off her mask and summoning her Persona for the battle ahead. Morgana wordlessly did the same, axe at the ready to tear into the opposition.

The Blood Knights, as Akari had mentally nicknamed them, charged at the duo; swinging their spears. Akari jumped out of the way, barely evading the opening attack. "Eiga!" She shouted, ordering Caulfield to unleash a blast of darkness upon one of the Blood Knights.

The target didn't even flinch, turning around to attack again with another charge. "Please, you're swinging around a giant metal rod." Morgana said, as El Coyote swung his sword in a C shape. "Metal conducts electricity."

A bolt of lightning struck a Blood Knight, electricity coursing through him and killing his horse as it made its way through to the ground. The Blood Knight stood back up after a tense moment of silence, practically unharmed. "I'm stronger than your lightning." He stated, pointing his spear at Morgana. The other two knights joined his side, aiming their spears with him.

"Oh. _Crap_." Morgana said, taking a fearful step back. Lightning was his one major advantage in a fight, and that failed to kill or even hurt the actual threat.

Akari rushed in, swinging her knife at the horseless Blood Knight's neck. It clanked off his armor, blade failing to even scratch it. He struck back with his spear, cutting deep into her leg. 

Morgana struck them all with lightning, distracting them for long enough to help Akari get away from them. El Coyote manifested, casting a spell to heal Akari's wound a little. She wasn't exactly all that up for fighting, but at least she wasn't bleeding out. He turned to face the Blood Knights, nervously clutching his axe. Experience can't make up for a lack of power against these guys, no matter how much he has over them.

The Blood Knights marched towards the two, spears poised to strike. Their master's orders would be fulfilled.

And then a bullet plinked off the horseless one's helmet. "I'm not letting you hurt them." Haruko stated, standing behind Morgana and Akari with her gun aimed at the Blood Knights. "I got them into this. If you're killing anybody, kill me."

"Haruko, what are you-" Akari tried to say, only for Haruko to interrupt.

"It's okay. I was the one who wanted to head back here." Haruko gave her friends a smile. "It's my fault."

"Don't say that, Haruko!" Akari shouted. "It's-"

"All your fault." Kobayashi taunted, walking down the stairs. "You were the one who tore apart the track team by daring to rebel against me." she walked right up to Haruko, kicking her onto her back. "You tried to assault me after I gave all of you special treatment."

"Special treatment my ass. Your special treatment was working us until we broke!" Haruko retorted, aiming the gun at Kobayashi.

Kobayashi pulled it out of her hand before Haruko could fire. "But I let your little group stay together. And then you decided that the only solution was to attack me. And what did you get out of it? Your team disbanded, a broken leg, and a loss of any companionship left in this world. If it was someone else, I might've felt sorry for you. Honestly, it's a miracle you still attend Shujin."

"I- I-..." Haruko couldn't find a retort. Kobayashi was right. It was her own damn fault she's in this mess. Why did she even come here? Spite? It wasn't the scientific interest like she claimed.

" _Come on, you're really just gonna give up?_ " A voice, her voice, asked her. " _This is that bitch who tore your life apart! You want the power to get back at her? Let's form a pact. If this world, that false queen, wants to be your enemy, then fight! If the light is worse than the darkness, than tear the sun to shreds and let the shadows and the cold take hold!_ "

A mask appeared over Haruko's face, one resembling a knight's visor. Her eyes turned golden. She slowly stood back up, filling with newfound resolve. She grabbed the mask, ripping it off and tearing off part of her face to go with it.

Blue flames exploded around her, blinding all in the room. When they start to die down, Haruko was different. She was wearing black armor with a tattered dark blue coat underneath. She held a greatsword with a bluish blade in her left hand, and the pistol in her right. "You know what, Kobayashi? You're right? It was my fault everything's happened. But you still made it go that way! Mordred, let's rip and tear!"

A knight in similarly black armor, riding on a black unicorn with a mane of icy wind, manifested behind her. It was her Persona, fitting her own image of rebellion in the form of the black knight. He brandished a halberd that put the Blood Knights to shame.

The horseless Blood Knight charged, thrusting his spear at Haruko. In a flash, Haruko brought her sword up to block it. "You're not hurting anybody else. Mordred, Bufu!"

Mordred swung his halberd, unleashing a flurry of icicles into the Blood Knight; riddling him with holes. Haruko instantly switched targets, leaping into battle with the other two Blood Knights. Two slashes killed the other Blood Knights' horses, leaving just the riders. Mordred impaled one on his halberd, and Haruko went started violently hacking at the knight with her blade like a wild animal.

The last Blood Knight backed away in shock, horrified by the slaughter of his comrades. Haruko turned to face him, a murderous glint in her eye. She and Mordred lunged in tandem, stabbing their weapons into the Blood Knight. Ice crystals exploded out of the body, leaving nothing of the last Blood Knight.

Haruko turned her attention to Kobayashi, aiming her pistol at the Palace's ruler while resting her sword on her shoulder. "You're done, Kobayashi. I just killed your stupid minions, and you're all that's left."

Kobayashi ran for her life, sprinting up the stairs and out of sight. Haruko tried to chase after her, only to collapse. "Get back here, bitch!" She yelled.

"You burnt yourself out fighting like that." Morgana said, helping her back to her feet. "We should go before more guards show up. I'm the only one who's even vaguely in fighting shape, and I'm not looking to press my chances." 

* * *

Akari and Haruko returned to the real world, standing in the alley outside Shujin.

"That was... amazing." Haruko said. "Just... I had power! I could move, my leg didn't hurt at all, and I could see!"

Akari nodded. "It's definitely pretty cool, huh?"

"I can definitely get used to having superpowers. Hey, wanna go get a bite to eat? I kinda want to talk to my only friend. I'll pay."

The two headed off, Haruko leading the way. Akari knew this was going to be the start of a great friendship.

A few minutes later, a cat appeared out of nowhere, startling somebody who had been walking through the alley at the time. The cat headed off in search of something, or someone.

* * *

They sat down in a diner in Shibuya.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Akari asked.

"Well... I thought you'd might want to know what exactly's going on between me and, everything." Haruko said. "You're my friend, and I think you should probably know before it comes back to bite me."

Akari shrugged. "Can't be that bad."

"So, I was kind of a massive bitch back in my first year." Haruko explained. "I was arrogant, since I was smart, pretty, and the star of the track team. My future was pretty much set. And then the old gym teacher resigned due to age and Kobayashi took his place. She hated the track team, trying to pimp out her volleyball team. I hated her because she was trying destroy the one place I belonged. She started spreading rumors about my life at home that only made things worse."

"Eventually you got real mad at her and tried to hit her." Akari guessed.

Haruko nodded. "Exactly. Broke my leg in the process, and nearly got me expelled. And because of my stupidity, now I'm friendless and futureless. Until I met you. Let's keep working together on this, alright? I want to expose Kobayashi so she doesn't hurt anyone else."

Akari smiled. "Kobayashi doesn't stand a chance."

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Lovers Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/2018

"Acting as a Phantom Thief would have been more effective alone." Eikichi Fujinara said. "But you didn't choose to go about it that way. You saw merits in having associates. Am I wrong?"

Akari smiled. "What do you think?"

"Hmph. Continue with your story."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haruko's Phantom Thief design was primarily Dark Souls inspired. Her armor is based on the Fume Knight's (albeit with a blue coat instead of green), and her sword and fighting style are based on Knight Artorias. I went with Ice after deciding to use Wind for a later character. Just consider it a reference to Burnt Ivory King.
> 
> Mordred is King Arthur's traitorous nephew, who seized power and became King of England. While he isn't quite the "Black Knight", he was a member of the Knights of the Round Table, and fit in as a rebel against authority. Some works even portrayed him as more of a conflicted opportunist, or even a victim of fate. 
> 
> Mordred is similar to Captain Kidd, with a focus on powerful physical attacks and attack buffs to go with Ice spells, but has a slightly less powerful physical in exchange for higher magic.
> 
> Her All-Out Attack quote is: "All for one."


	5. Phantom

When Akari went to bed after her adventure in Kobayashi's Palace, she woke up in the Velvet Room.

This time, she was more annoyed than confused. "What do you want now?"

"Bite your tongue, inmate!" Caroline barked, striking her baton against the cell's bars.

"It would do you well to be respectful towards our master." Justine stated.

Igor chuckled. "At ease. I wanted to congratulate you. Not only have you awakened your own Persona, you've made two powerful allies who share your ideals. Your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly, even if you're far from completing it."

"Uh, thanks for the compliment?" Akari shrugged.

"However, ruin still approaches." Igor stated. "And you are far from ready. Make more allies, improve your abilities, show your true power as a Wild Card."

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Fool Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

4/13/18 (Friday)

Akari woke up in reality, slightly annoyed by Igor's vagueness.

She got dressed and went downstairs to head to school.

"Good morning, Akari-san." Gin greeted. "I made curry for you for breakfast. You're a growing girl, and I think skipping breakfast like yesterday isn't going to be good for you."

"Thank you." Akari said, sitting down and eating.

During breakfast. Akari got a message from Haruko on her phone (they exchanged contact info yesterday).

HS: _"Hey, Akari, I think today's the day we need to do our digging. We've got a sports festival thing going on today, so the entire team's going to be easy to find."_

AS: _"Got it. Should we head back into the Palace today?"_

HS: _"Probably not. Unless we've got some way to use that thing to stop Kobayashi, I'd rather not risk my life in there. See you at school!"_

AS: _"See you there!"_

Akari put her phone and finished eating. After that, she headed for school.

About twenty minutes later, Gin would find a black cat outside the door, meowing in frustration.

* * *

On the subway, Akari overheard an interesting conversation.

"So, like, this cat just appears! Outta thin air like he was some sorta magician."

"Man, you probably just needed some sleep. Partying until the break of dawn every night's gonna catch up with you one day." 

* * *

In the gym at Shujin academy, Kobayashi's star volleyball team was playing against a few newbies and Kobayashi. The game was one-sided, with Kobayashi's talent and skill far surpassing everybody else.

"For all of her horribleness, she's actually pretty good at volleyball." Akari commented.

"She did win a gold medal at the Olympics in the sport." Haruko said. "I'd certainly hope she was."

"Wait, really?"

Haruko stared at Akari. "You didn't know?"

"The only person at Shujin I know beyond their name and job is you." Akari pointed out. "My homeroom teacher is probably the closest to somebody else I know personally."

"Huh. Well, let's start interviewing members of the volleyball team." Haruko said, getting up from her seat. "The game's almost over."

* * *

They went up to the first suspect they could find, Chihiro Kano (a black-haired and fairly generic second year). He was playing against Kobayashi during the game, and wasn't exactly in the best shape before or afterwards. He had a black eye and bruises on his arm, and probably more they couldn't see.

"Hey, Kano-san!" Haruko greeted with a wave. "We wanted to talk to you."

Chihiro bit his lip, reflexively trying to cover the bruise on his arm. "I don't want to. Not with you two."

"Why not?" Akari asked. 

"Haruko tried assaulting Kobayashi last year." Chihiro said.

"I get that," Haruko said. Even if she didn't agree with it, it still made sense. "But why Akari? She's never done anything wrong."

"Not what I've heard. I heard you got arrested for assaulting somebody."

Akari sighed. And here she was hoping that would be at least sort of behind her. "Who told you that?"

"I heard it from Kaoru." Chihiro answered.

"Right... so, regardless, we just wanted to ask a couple questions about Kobayashi." Haruko said.

"No!" Chihiro instantly shouted. 

There was a short silence.

"I'm leaving." Chihiro turned around, walking away.

* * *

After some asking around, they found out who was the source behind the rumors.

A girl in Akari's class named Futaba Sakura. Akari noted that she looked a lot like a less fit and shorter Haruko with orange hair.

They tracked her down to the computer lab, idly working on some program.

"Hey, Sakura-san?" Haruko said neutrally.

"Hmm?" Futaba spun her chair around to face Haruko.

"Why the fuck are you spreading those rumors about Akari?" Haruko questioned. She grabbed onto the collar of Futaba's shirt, glaring into her eyes.

Futaba froze up in fear. Akari immediately rushed to get Haruko away from her, deciding a less antagonistic approach was in order. "Listen, Futaba. I'm not really that mad. If it wasn't you, it was gonna be somebody else who'd find out and tell everybody else. We just want to know why."

Futaba calmed down a little. "It was Kobayashi. She told me to do it."

Haruko clenched her fist. "That bitch. How much do you know about Kobayashi's bullshit?"

Futaba chuckled. "More than you probably do. I've read through about... half of the e-mails exchanged between faculty in the past year. Kobayashi's abuse of students is pretty much an open secret. The teachers know, but either can't or won't do anything about it because of her reputation. The principal doesn't care. The parents generally either don't know enough about it, or assume it's necessary for their children."

"Oh dear..." Akari muttered. She knew Kobayashi was human garbage, but she didn't expect it to be so well known. 

"Let's go try getting some more information out of the volleyball team. Maybe a first year knows something we don't."

* * *

The two came up to the roof, frustrated. The first years either didn't know anything, or were just as tight-lipped as the others.

"Great, so all we know is that people are just sitting by and letting her be a bitch." Haruko sarcastically spat, sitting down on a spare desk.

"Well, at least we know what we're up against." Akari said, trying to look on the bright side. "Even if it's gonna be a pain to stop her."

Haruko shrugged. She didn't have any ideas, and Akari didn't either.

"I've finally found you!" Morgana's voice declared, before a cat confidently walked up to them. "I see you girls are having some trouble."

"You're seeing this, right?" Akari asked Haruko, staring at the cat. He had haunting blue eyes and a yellow collar. 

"The talking cat? Yep." Haruko said, slowly stepping towards the stairs in case she has to run.

"Um, hello? It's me? Morgana?" The cat said, annoyed. "It took me a lot of work to track you down to here!"

Akari paused, before realizing something. "Shouldn't you, y'know, be a little more quiet? You're a talking cat."

"Only to you two. Your perception of me involves me talking, unlike other humans. Or it's just a Persona user thing, who knows?" The ca- Morgana shrugged. "Either way, I heard you two were talking about how to take Kobayashi down."

Akari nodded slowly, still trying to process the talking cat standing in front of her.

"I might know something." Morgana said, with the most smug smirk a cat could muster on his face. "So, you know how Kobayashi's Palace is her distorted perception of the school."

The girls nodded.

"Ever wonder why?"

"Because she's a bitch?" Haruko suggested.

"In a sense." Morgana hopped up onto a desk. "The source of her Palace is her distorted desires. Like treating her students like crap for whatever reason. And the source of these distorted desires resides in the Palace in the form of the Treasure."

"And if we take it, we'd be removing those awful desires." Akari realized. 

"But that wouldn't really be getting back at her." Haruko said. "It's great that we'll be stopping her, but she'd still be getting off with a slap on the wrist."

"But without those distorted desires, she'd begin to realize how awful she's been, and the weight of her sins would be too much to bear. Within days, she'd practically be forced to confess by her conscience."

"That's... amazing!" Haruko cheered. "We'd be able to get back at her, stop all her bullshit, and not have to kill anybody."

"Well... about that..." Morgana said, feeling a little stupid to leave out a really important detail.

"Oh dear. What's the problem?" Akari asked.

"Desires aren't just the things like hurting students. They're also our desires to eat, drink, breathe, love, and live. Without them... Kobayashi might die. Not even I know exactly how we're supposed to stop it from happening like that." Morgana explained. "It's up to you two. I can't do it alone, and I'm not even sure why I'd want to do it."

"No." Haruko stated. "Kobayashi might be a total bitch, but it doesn't justify killing her. She might've hurt people, but I don't feel like I could live with myself if we put her down like a dog."

Akari nodded. "Yeah. She's still a person, even if she's evil."

"Like I said, it's up to you girls." Morgana said, shrugging. "But, could I please stay with one of you? I don't exactly have anywhere to go, and living like a stray cat isn't my idea of a good time."

"Well, I can't take him in." Haruko said. "My mom's allergic."

Akari sighed. "Alright. But only if Mori-san says it's okay."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the yard, Shinji Taro was talking to Chihiro.

"And then they just up and left." Chihiro finished his recapping of his encounter with Akari and Haruko.

Shinji sighed. "I guess Haruko's as quick ta strike as ever. Kobayashi prolly just ticked her off again. Trust me, this isn't gonna be a problem." He assured. 

"Kobayashi's pressuring me more." Chihiro informed. "I think she wants to... make a move on me."

"I'll deal with it. You just keep being the best you can be." Shinji said.

* * *

With Morgana sitting in her school bag (not like it had much inside right now), Akari was walking to the subway station to head back to Yongen-Jaya (and was almost there).

"You... you want to _what_?!" Shinji Taro yelled, talking to somebody on the phone. " _NO_! Eff no! I- I won't!"

Akari stopped, wondering who Shinji was talking to. 

"If you do anything to hurt him..." and then Shinji put the phone away a couple seconds later, after whoever he was talking to hung up.

"What are you gonna do?" Morgana whispered.

Akari answered that question by walking over to Shinji. "Hey, so... what's going on?" She asked.

Shinji turned to face Akari, realizing who was talking to him. He ran away. Akari ran after him, chasing him into the subway station.

After a lot of running, Akari finally cornered him. Well, he cornered himself by running towards what he knew was a dead-end.

"Why are you following me?" Shinji questioned.

"I tried to talk to you because you seemed upset, and you just up and ran away." Akari pointed out. "You really need someone to talk to."

Shinji stared at her, confused. "Lemme get this straight. After I ran away, you treated that as a sign that I needed help?"

"Well, do you want to talk about things? I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to."

* * *

They went to a coffee shop in Shibuya, sitting down at a table to talk about things.

Akari took a sip of her coffee. She decided that she should try some of Mori-san's when she got back to Salinger.

"You've... prolly heard rumors about my involvement with Kobayashi." Shinji said.

"A little. Are you...?" Akari trepidatiously asked, not wanting to make assumptions.

"She's tried." Shinji dryly chuckled. He felt like everything was going to bite him in the butt pretty soon. He pushed that feeling down. "Tried a lot. I don't have any interest in her."

"Then, why are you, y'know, 'with' her?"

"To protect my friend. Chihiro, that guy you and Haruko interrogated."

"We just asked some questions." Akari corrected.

"Whatever. I thought, if I could keep Kobayashi aimed at me, it'd keep Chihiro in the volleyball team without getting him hurt. Fat lotta good's that doing. And now I just flew off the handle at her over the phone. She wanted to... do the thing." He made a circle with his hand and stuck his finger in it for emphasis.

"And now you're scared for your friend, right?"

Shinji nodded. "I guess you can understand how bad it feels to be dealing with this. Everybody thinks you're some thug."

"And you've got the whole 'screwing Kobayashi' thing stuck in everybody's head." Akari said. "Well, me and Haruko are sort of working on something to stop Kobayashi. Just, trust us. In a few days, maybe a couple weeks, this should all be behind us."

"I hope so..." Shinji muttered.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Moon Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/18

"When things got hairy, you would have needed someone with a lot of firepower to get out of it." Eikichi surmised.

"And to break puzzles so we didn't hafta to do 'em." Akari said.

"Of course you did."

* * *

Akari headed back to Salinger, hoping Mori-san would be fine with Morgana.

"Mori-san, I, uh, picked something up." Akari said, letting Morgana pop his head out of her bag. 

"Is that a cat?" Gin questioned.

"I'm not a cat!" Morgana shouted. "I'm a human!"

"And a very loud one to boot." Gin said. "If he keeps on good behavior and doesn't roam down here, he can stay. It will look good on your record if you can take care of an animal while on probation."

"Thanks." Akari said, heading up to her room.

She let Morgana out of the bag, and the cat claiming to be human surveyed the room.

"You live here?" He asked, taking in all the junk strewn about.

"It ain't the best place, but it's where I sleep." Akari said.

"You could at least bother to clean up." Morgana pointed out. "There's a lot of space we could actually use if the place was clean."

"Well, I don't have anything else to do." Akari shrugged. 

After a couple of hours of clean up, the room was cleared out of all the junk, and there was actually space in the floor plan now. 

"See? What did I tell ya?" Morgana said, feeling good about himself.

"You didn't do anything." Akari pointed out, flopping onto her bed. "You sat around and gave orders. Like a cat."

"I'm a- Oh, who am I kidding? Right now, I am a cat." Morgana lamented. "I know I wasn't always this way, at least, I think. I don't remember much of my life before I met you to be honest. I want to know what happened before I found Kobayashi's Palace."

"We'll figure it out." Akari assured. "I don't know much about this Metaverse stuff, but I can say that we'll figure it all out."

"Thanks, Akari. Just let me know if you want to change Kobayashi's heart." Morgana yawned, going to sleep.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Magician Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

"We found a variety of strange objects for a teenage girl to have. Lockpicks, smoke bombs, among others." Eikichi said. "Are you implying that your talking cat taught you how to make them?"

"What're you gonna do? _Arrest_ him?" Akari said.

"If I have to."

"You're no fun."

"This isn't supposed to be fun."

"Ghost would prolly find it pretty fun."

"Just get on with your story." 

* * *

4/14/18 (Saturday)

The next day, Akari returned to school with a really bad feeling about things. Something felt off, like an air of dread had descended upon Shujin and wasn't leaving no matter what. She decided to message Haruko, hoping to either feel better or get an idea why everything feels wrong.

AS: " _Does anything feel... weird to you?_ "

HS: " _How so?_ "

AS: " _Like something really bad's gonna happen._ "

HS: " _That's probably just the Kobayashi business getting to you. Just try focusing on classes for now. See me on the roof after school?_ "

AS: " _See you there! :)_ "

Akari sighed, putting her phone away. She just hoped Haruko was right.

* * *

During history class, everything was stopped when somebody outside shouted something.

"Who's that on the roof? I think he's gonna jump!"

Within moments, students started rushing out to the yard to see what was going on. Akari immediately sent Haruko a message to make sure she was in the loop. 

AS: " _Somebody's on the roof._ "

HS: " _I know. It isn't Shinji, right?_ "

Akari looked around, finding a flash of yellow rushing past everyone else.

AS: " _Shinji's fine._ "

HS: " _I'm in the yard. I think it's..._ "

"Chihiro!" Shinji exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry..." Chihiro whispered, before he jumped.

* * *

Miraculously, Chihiro survived the fall and was rushed to the hospital. The other students were told to head back to class.

After school ended, Akari and Haruko met up outside Class 2-B (on account of the roof being closed off due to the incident). Futaba was also present.

"I'm gonna fucking _kill_ her." Haruko hissed. She gestured to follow. "Come on."

"I don't really like this id-" Akari tried to say.

"Come on!" Haruko restated, grabbing Futaba and Akari's hands and dragging them along.

* * *

They confronted Kobayashi in the teacher's lounge. Kobayashi didn't even seem to be remotely saddened by recent events.

"Kobayashi." Haruko hissed, glaring daggers at the volleyball coach. 

"Shirogane-san." Kobayashi plainly said. "Why are you here? And why'd you drag those two into this? If you wanted me to break your other leg, all you had to do is ask."

"You're why Kano-san jumped." Haruko stated, trying to restrain herself from punching Kobayashi. "Well?"

"Let's say I was. Why would I tell you?" Kobayashi pointed out.

Haruko snapped, attempting to throw a punch. Thankfully, Akari and Futaba managed to hold her back.

"And thank you for that." Kobayashi smirked. "Attempted violence is all I needed to see to get you expelled. All three of you. Expect me to bring this up at the next faculty meeting. Immediate expulsion of all three of you."

They all froze.

* * *

Akari and Haruko (plus Morgana, but that was mostly due to him going wherever Akari went) decided to talk in the alley by Shujin.

"Morgana, you're sure there's no way to make sure Kobayashi can survive if we steal her Treasure?" Haruko asked.

"I don't know. I'm knowledgeable, not omniscient." Morgana said. "I know killing her Shadow would kill her too."

"Regardless, we have to." Akari said. "If I get expelled, I'm being tossed in juvenile detention. And we owe it to Chihiro to stop Kobayashi, no matter what it takes."

"At this point, I don't even care if that bitch dies." Haruko said. "We're taking that Treasure, and ending things. Let's head in. _Now_." She pulled out her phone.

Nearby, Shinji Taro was eavesdropping on them. He was wondering what in the heck those two meant, and why they were talking to a cat, when the world distorted around him.

* * *

They stood before Kobayashi's castle, now in their Metaverse attire. Or form, in the case of Morgana.

"What the eff?!" Shinji questioned, looking around. "Who are you? What's that cat thing?"

"Oh, shit. We dragged Shinji along for the ride." Haruko said. 

"Haruko, is that you?" Shinji asked. "And the new kid?"

"Yep." Akari answered. "We're in Kobayashi's interpretation of Shujin. Don't tell anybody we were here, and we'll bring you out."

"What? Why are you here? How are you here? How are we here?"

"Phone app." Haruko said like that explained everything. "And we're here to get back at Kobayashi. We all know she's why Kano-san did what he did."

"Can I come with you?" Shinji asked. "I want to help."

"No." Morgana stated. "You don't have a Persona like we do. You'll just be dead weight. And with Kobayashi being more on guard than ever, the Shadows in here aren't going to be any easier. I'll wait here and keep a lookout while you two bring him out."

* * *

After escorting Shinji out of the Metaverse, the trio gathered in the safe room.

"Alright, now that we're safe, we need to discuss our game plan." Morgana said. "First off, code names."

"I'm gonna guess saying our real names all the time in Kobayashi's subconscious'll probably raise some red flags." Akari said.

"Hit the nail on the head. I'm not sure if it truly has an effect, but let's be safe and only use code names from here on out. Any ideas?"

"I'm going with..." Haruko paused to think. "Knight. Simple and to the point."

"I think I'll go with Mona." Morgana said. "Not like my identity matters that much when everybody thinks I'm a cat." 

Akari brought a hand to her chin in thought. "What should mine be? My outfit's pretty generic, and my Persona's not exactly giving me ideas either."

"How about Ace?" Morgana suggested. "Since you've got an aptitude for your Persona unlike anything I've ever seen before,"

"You only know two users besides yourself." Haruko pointed out. "And I slaughtered those knights."

"And, I feel like she should be our leader for this job." Morgana finished. "So, what do you think?"

"I like Ace." Akari said. "I'm... a little iffy on being the leader, but I think I can handle it. With you guys at my side, we've got this!"

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the ??? Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

"Well then, now that that's settled, Morgana, where should we go?" Haruko asked.

"I don't know where the Treasure is." Morgana pointed out. "But I'd say it's probably in the deepest portion of the castle."

"Well, let's get to exploring." Akari said. "It's not gonna find itself."

* * *

Shinji reappeared outside Kobayashi's castle, having been screwing around with a new app that spontaneously showed up on his phone a couple minutes ago. 

He encountered two guards within moments. "Kobayashi's pet? What are you doing here?" one of them questioned.

"What the eff did you just say?" Shinji said, getting ready for a fight.

* * *

Morgana knocked a merhorse off balance with a lightning bolt. "Now we hold him up." He explained, aiming a really big slingshot at the merhorse. Haruko aimed her pistol at it, and Akari settled for pointing her knife (she really needed to get a gun of her own).

"You." The merhorse said, pointing at Akari. "Why doing?"

"Doing what?" Akari asked.

"Fight me."

"You tried to attack me?"

"Fair point... Wait. Just remember who am. Me am spirit adrift in sea of consciousness. Me am call Kelpie!" the merhorse, Kelpie, transformed into a copy of Akari's mask. It merged with her's.

"I... didn't expect that." Morgana said, staring at Akari. "You got any clue what that was, Ace?"

Akari felt a little different. Like there was a new power ready to be called upon. She pulled off her mask, summoning her Persona. Her new Persona, Kelpie, that is. 

"People can have multiple Personas?" Haruko questioned.

"Not usually." Morgana said. "I know there's been cases... but most users like you and I can only have one Persona."

"This is awesome!" Akari cheered. 

Morgana smiled. "Indeed it is. You really _are_ our ace in the hole. I was going to explain how to get things like money from Shadows, or doing an All-Out Attack, but this is even better!"

* * *

The guards brought Shinji before Kobayashi.

"Your pet had escaped." one of the guards informed. "We brought it back."

Kobayashi stared at Shinji, before snapping her fingers. Another Shinji, wearing nothing but swim trunks, walked in. Kobayashi narrowed her eyes at the guards. "You ignorant morons. How dare you mistake my pet for this lowlife imitator! Although..." She smiled. If she remembered correctly, Shinji and Haruko were friends once upon a time. "There is some use for him."

Shinji gulped. He was far too confused to say anything, and too terrified anyway even if he understood.

* * *

Akari pulled her knife out of a Blood Knight. As it turned out, Kelpie could perform wind magic, which was just as effective as ice was on them. 

"It's hard to imagine us being scared of those things anymore." She remarked.

"Don't get too cocky." Morgana said. "I doubt it's gonna get any easier when we get deeper."

They heard yelling coming from elsewhere in the castle.

"Let effing go of me!"

Haruko sighed. "Great. Shinji got back in. And captured by the sound of it." 

Akari rushed ahead, hoping that she wouldn't be too late. The others followed.

* * *

They smashed a set of double doors down. They had tracked the source of the yelling, including several more kiddie versions of curse words, to this room.

The trio found Shinji shackled up in a spread eagle position on a metal stand. Shadow Kobayashi was standing next to him, several guards in the room to stop our heroes from trying anything funny.

"Ah, so glad you could make it." Shadow Kobayashi said. "I was just about to begin torturing this poor boy. He couldn't even stop his little friend from trying to off himself after I had my way with him."

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Chihiro that way." Shinji hissed, struggling against his bonds.

"Or what? You'll try to fuck me? Because we both know you don't have the balls to do that either." Shadow Kobayashi chuckled. "Face it, kid. You can't do anything to stop me. You can't help your friends, and you can't even commit to your own job. Honestly, the kid probably tried to kill himself to get away from your sorry ass."

Shinji struggled harder, blinded with rage. And then... something clicked.

" _It's taken far too long._ " He heard his own voice say. " _Are you going to sit there, bound as she continues to mock those close to you? To mock you for your failures? Let's form a pact. Burn them away in the fires of vengeance! All those Shadows who dare to tear down what you hold dear, let them all be fuel to the fire! Burn it all, to make up for your failures!_ "

A mask (with a lion design) appeared over his face, and his eyes changed to yellow. He smashed through the shackles to grab it and tear it off with a spray of blood. He was engulfed in flames, orange and blue dancing together before settling to blue.

When the flames died down enough to seem him, he had changed. He was dressed up like a Roman gladiator, dark leather armor with a single steel shoulderpad with a lion design to match his mask. He had a burnt orange cape, flowing in the wind created by his power. 

And floating by his side was his Persona, Hercules. Hercules stood at nine feet tall, with muscles that could best be described as obscenely large. He was wearing toga made from a lion's skin.

"Hey, Kobayashi." Shinji said, a devilish smirk on his face. "You're right. I effed up. And because of it, Chihiro did something selfish to escape the pain. The pain you caused!"

Hercules aimed a hand at Shadow Kobayashi, shooting a fireball at her. She ducked, barely avoiding it.

Shadow Kobayashi growled in frustration. "Guards! Kill them! Kill them properly this time!" She ordered, before running away.

Shinji tried to give chase, only to be cut off by the guards blocking his path. "Get out of my way!" He yelled, punching one through the head.

The others melted, reforming into a variety of monsters.

Akari, Morgana, and Haruko snapped out of their shocked stupor, summoning their Personas. 

"Nice Persona, Shinji." Haruko remarked. 

"That's what this guy's called?" Shinji asked, looking to Hercules. "Awesome!"

"Save the chit chat for later." Morgana said. "They're coming!"

Shinji instantly leapt into the fray, fists swinging. He crushed a jack-o-lantern with a right hook, spinning around to backhand a fairy that tried a sneak attack. Hercules unleashed a blast of fire upon a Kelpie, burning it to cinders.

Haruko joined him, standing back to back with Shinji. "Impressive." She remarked. "You've managed to beat back a few trash mobs. Let _me_ show you how it's done."

"C'mon, with your leg, I doubt you'll be beating my kill count." Shinji retorted.

Haruko smirked. "Well, let's see who beats the other out."

"Bet ya a hundred yen."

"You're on."

The two lunged at their chosen targets.

"Jeez, those two are really going at it." Morgana noted as a jack-o-lantern got sent flying and landed in front of him. He dispatched it with a swing of his axe. 

"Well, let's join them!" Akari declared, rushing into the fray with Caulfield by her side. She sliced through the throat of a knight, instantly moving on to her next target without missing a beat. Caulfield unleashed a blast of darkness, destroying a fairy.

Between the four of them, the small army was slaughtered with ease.

Shinji tried to go after Kobayashi, but only ended up collapsing on the floor.

* * *

They returned to the real world, reappearing in the alley outside Shujin. Everybody filled Shinji in on the details.

"So, you got until the next meetin' to stop Kobayashi." Shinji summarized. "Count me in! I want her out as much as you guys do."

"Alright, we got about two weeks to find and steal Kobayashi's Treasure." Haruko said. 

"I hope that'll be enough time." Akari muttered.

"Relax, we got this." Morgana assured. "Especially with you leading us."

Akari felt confident. The entire team felt confident. Kobayashi was going down.

(??? Arcana: Rank 2)

"Either way, I should head home." Haruko said. "It's getting late, and mom's going to start worrying soon."

They went their seperate ways, hoping to put an end to Kobayashi's vileness as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shinji's design was a bitch at first. I could not figure out what his Persona should be (I jumped around between Black Bart and Jean Valjean before settling on Hercules), and with it, his design. I couldn't figure anything out with Valjean, and I wasn't satisfied with Black Bart. 
> 
> Hercules is named after the Roman hero and god. After being driven mad by the goddess Hera, he slew his children and wife. To atone for his actions, he served King Eurystheus, and did the Labours of Hercules.
> 
> I chose Hercules due to this atoner aspect, fitting in with Shinji's feelings after his best friend attempted suicide.
> 
> In gameplay, Hercules is similar to Carmen. It has powerful fire magic and single target healing spells. In place of debuffs, however, Hercules gives out defense buffs. It's slightly less powerful offensively, but has a stronger defense to make up for it.
> 
> Shinji's All-Out Attack quote is: "Get Rekt."
> 
> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 1
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 1
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 1
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, ???: Rank 2


	6. King, Queen, Slave

4/15/18 (Sunday)

Haruko Shirogane woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing. 

When she finally got out of bed a few minutes later and picked up her phone, she found out she had several unread messages from Akari. She read the most recent ones.

AS: " _GUN_ "

AS: " _NEED GUN_ "

AS: " _WHERE GUN_ "

AS: " _HARUKO, YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE_ "

AS: " _GUN_ "

Haruko giggled. 

HS: " _Chill, Akari. I was asleep. Because it's a Sunday and I'd like to sleep in. Meet me in Shibuya, I'll show you where I bought mine._ "

* * *

Dressed up in a black sweater and a pleated skirt, Haruko met up with Akari (wearing a blue t-shirt and grey pants) in Shibuya.

"Right, so it's a sorta out of the way place, but it's really nice once you find it." Haruko said.

"Can we just go there already?" Akari asked. "I just wanna have a gun before we go into the Palace."

Haruko sighed. "Fine. But behave. I like the place, and I'd like to avoid being kicked out."

Morgana popped his head out Akari's bag. "I'll try to keep her in line."

"You brought Morgana?" she questioned.

"So?" Akari asked.

Haruko facepalmed. "Never mind. Just follow me."

She led Akari down through an alley, coming up to a small shop with a neon sign that read "Indestructible".

"This is the place?" Akari questioned.

"Yep! It might be out of the way, but it's got some really good stuff that's hard to find anywhere else." Haruko said, opening the door. "Hey, Watanabe-san, I've got a friend who's interesting in making a purchase."

"Watanabe-san" was an older man (probably in his early thirties) with a greying brown hair. He had a five o'clock shadow. He was wearing a grey jacket and a similarly grey cap. There was a small snake tattoo on his neck. He eyed Akari suspiciously. "This kid's interested?"

"She's not that much younger than me." Haruko said. "She's looking for a model gun."

Watanabe shrugged. "As long as she has money, I'm not going to question it. Anything in particular you're looking for?"

Akari paused, giving the concept some thought. "I... I'm not sure. Lemme see what you've got."

* * *

Akari looked through her options. Rifles and shotguns were out of the question, she was looking for something one handed. Submachine guns didn't seem very accurate and would throw off her balance. And then she saw one that spoke to her.

Watanabe noted how Akari's eyes lit up upon seeing it. "Colt Diamondback." He said. "It's a rather nice looking one. That will be five thousand Yen."

Akari was about to check her wallet when Haruko spoke up. 

"I'm paying, Watanabe-san." she stated. 

Watanabe shrugged. "You buyin' anything, Shirogane? Or is just her?"

"Just her today."

Akari hugged Haruko. 

(Lovers Arcana: Rank 2)

Watanabe scoffed. "Kids."

* * *

While walking out of Indestructible with Haruko and her new purchase (even if Haruko paid for it), Akari got a message from Shinji.

ST: " _Yo, are we heading into the castle today? My schedule's free._ "

"Haruko, you up for a Palace run?" Akari asked.

Haruko shrugged. "Not like I have anything else to do."

AS: " _Sure thing. Meet us in front of Shujin in an hour._ "

"Don't I get any input?" Morgana asked.

"You don't do anything besides help us in the Palace." Haruko pointed out. "And you're a cat. What else would you be doing?"

"Fair point..."

* * *

The team gathered in front of Kobayashi's Palace.

Akari noticed a glowing blue door just sitting there.

"Right, so, what should his codename be?" Morgana asked.

"Codename?" Shinji asked.

"Morgana says it's bad idea to go about yelling each other's names in Kobayashi's subconscious." Haruko explained. "I'm Knight in here, she's Ace, and he's Mona."

"Sweet! I wonder what mine should be..."

"Any ideas, Ace?" Morgana asked.

Akari stared at the door. It seemed like her friends either couldn't see it, or were purposefully ignoring it for some reason. Probably the former. "No idea... I'm gonna be over there really quick. You guys figure out his codename."

While the others debated Shinji's codename, Akari approached the door. On closer inspection, it was like a prison door, and Caroline was standing next to it.

Caroline scoffed. "Finally, inmate. Our master has been waiting for you."

Akari walked through the door, hoping to get some more answers.

* * *

Akari found herself in the Velvet Room once more, clad in a prison uniform once again.

"Ah, Trickster, I knew you would be coming." Igor said. "I'm sure you have many questions."

"Plenty. About my whole," Akari waved her hand around trying to think of the words she wanted. "'Multiple Personas' thing."

"It is part of your status as Trickster and Wild Card." 

"I get that. But, are there any others besides me?" Akari asked. "Somebody with experience to help me with all this would be really nice."

"There are... a few." Igor said. "Three in Iwatodai, one in Inaba. However, ruin will only come faster if you attempted to reach out to them."

"Great." Akari sarcastically said. "It wasn't like I was planning on heading out into another town, especially my hometown, to find them. Are there any in Tokyo?"

"There is one. However, their goals do not align with yours. Where you preach freedom, they espouse control. And at this stage? You have little hopes of defeating them. Fighting them may be the last step to averting ruin. A chance meeting may prove fatal currently. Even with your new ally. That... Shinji Taro."

"So, I gotta figure out who that other Wild Card is." Akari surmised. "Interestin'. That all you're gonna tell me?"

"For now, yes."

(Fool Arcana: Rank 2)

"See you soon, Trickster. Do not keep me waiting."

* * *

Akari blinked, finding herself back in front of Kobayashi's Palace with her Metaverse clothes on again.

"I'm just sayin', Swagmaster would be awesome." Shinji said.

"And I think that going with something that stupid is going to get us caught!" Haruko retorted. "How about something like Gladiator?"

Akari sighed. Of course things couldn't go smoothly while she dealt with Freaky Long Nose Man.

"Guys, can you two just calm down?" Akari requested. "How about Blaze?"

"I like the sound of that." Shinji said.

"Good? Great. Let's get going." Akari ordered. She really wanted to just kill some Shadows, after Igor's annoying vagueness.

* * *

Continuing deeper into the castle proved to be far easier than expected. The Shadows remained as weak as ever, and the addition of Shinji's strength, it was a breeze to take them down.

And then they came into a large room with a bunch of switches on the walls. The door on the other side was closed, and probably locked.

Morgana surveyed the room. "So, we have a bunch of switches, and a door that..." He ran up to the door and tried to open it. It didn't budge. "Is locked."

"Obviously, one of these switches opens the door." Haruko said. "The question is: Which one?"

Akari looked around. There really wasn't any way to tell the switches apart, they were exact copies of each other. "I guess trial and-"

A loud crash resounded through the room, Hercules fading from behind Shinji. Apparently, Shinji had decided the most effective way to "solve" the puzzle was to bust the door down.

"Blaze!" Morgana exclaimed. "We're supposed to be stealthy! Stealth does _not_ entail smashing down doors and making lots of noise."

Akari smiled. "Blaze, don't do that unless we tell you otherwise. But, bypassing stuff like this is pretty nice to have. Be ready in case the time comes."

"You're really getting into the whole leader role, huh?" Haruko remarked. 

"Well, let's get moving. Kobayashi's Treasure ain't gonna steal itself." Akari led the way, stepping over what was left of the door.

* * *

After walking (wandering) through several near-identical hallways, the team arrived in a library. If you could really call it that. There were only three (admittedly large) bookshelves in the small room. The metal door on the other side of the room was locked. 

"I don't think I'm punchin' through that one." Shinji said.

Morgana walked around the room, looking for anything suspicious. The only thing that stuck was that each bookcase had a single book missing. "Hey, Ace. I think I got an idea how we're opening the door. See how all the shelves are missing exactly one book?"

Akari punched her palm. "Then we just gotta find the books and put them back! Haruko, Shinji, split up and search. Morgana, stay here and search the room for anythin' else important."

Morgana saluted. "Aye aye, captain."

The others got moving, heading out to search the castle for the books.

* * *

Akari blasted a fairy with an Eiga, knocking her down. She aimed her revolver at her, smirking.

"Please, don't shoot!" the fairy begged.

Akari lowered her weapon. "Okay, what's in it for me?"

"I'll, uh, I'll..."

"You know what? Sure thing? Just don't bother me or any of my friends, and we won't lay a finger on you."

"Thank you! I'll... wait. I just remembered who I was! I'm a spirit adrift in the sea of human consciousness, Pixie! I'll help you from now on!" The fairy transformed into a copy of Akari's mask and merged with the real one.

"Woohoo!" Akari cheered. "Another Persona to summon!"

Feeling pleased about herself, she continued onward, finding a small bookcase. 

She pulled out the only book, simply titled "Queen".

The book was entirely devoted to Kobayashi, talking about her life and accomplishments in excruciating detail. And then Akari saw some less than flattering nudes, and instantly closed the thing without a second thought. She really hoped she could purge those images from her mind.

* * *

Haruko sliced through a Blood Knight that was guarding a small bookshelf at the end of a hallway.

"Y'know," Haruko summoned Mordred, letting him spear through the Blood Knight's chest. "There really isn't much point in hiding the keys to progress if you're going to throw a guard right in front of it and make it obvious."

Mordred faded away, dropping the lifeless corpse of the Blood Knight to the floor.

Haruko grabbed the only book on the shelf, titled "King". It turned out to be about all the boys Kobayashi had lusted over, Shinji and Chihiro especially.

She closed the thing, disgusted.

* * *

Shinji punched a Kelpie through a wall, revealing a hidden room. The Kelpie dissolved into nothingness, leaving Shinji on his practical lonesome.

"Sweet! Found a secret room!" he cheered, heading in through the hole he made. Inside was a bookshelf, with a book titled "Slave".

It was about the volleyball team, the girls especially.

* * *

They returned to the library, books in tow.

"Perfect timing!" Morgana said. "Apparently the books are, from left to right, King, Queen, Slave."

The team put the books in their respective positions, causing the door to open.

* * *

Beyond the door was more hallways; all identical for all intents and purposes, and more Shadows; who all fell fairly easily to the team's might.

And then they came into a church. For a moment, it all faded away into the gymnasium, before turning back into the church.

"Of course the gym's like a place of worship to her." Haruko remarked. 

" **Halt!** " A voice boomed. The roof had a hole blasted in it, and a knight with gold armor and red angel wings descending from what seemed to be the heavens. " **You are not to trespass on this sacred ground!** " The Heavenly Punisher pulled out a massive straight sword, aiming at our heroes. " **Your punishment for such sin shall be death!** "

The team summoned their Personas (Akari going with Caulfield to start off with), ready for battle.

" **Thou shall fall to my blade!** " The Heavenly Punisher rushed forward, swinging his sword to slash at all four of them. Haruko made the first move, using her sword and Mordred in tandem to block the blade. Shinji jumped over her, aiming to punch the Heavenly Punisher right in his stupid face. The Punisher brought up his other hand, catching Shinji's fist. " **Too weak! My devotion gives me strength! What do you have?** "

"Friends!" Morgana shouted, right before hacking at the Punisher's back with his axe. It might not have done the most damage (the armor took the brunt of it), but it certainly stung. The knight spun around, swinging his sword wildly at Morgana, who easily jumped over it and used El Coyote to deliver a point-blank blast of lightning. Haruko used the distraction to make Mordred slash at him with his halberd, and Akari added an Eiga blast into the mix to cap things off. 

"Not so tough, now, huh?" Haruko taunted. That combo did pretty major damage, even if it wasn't fatal.

"Foolish! You think this is my full power?! I shall now show you the true might of a loyal soldier!" The Heavenly Punisher raised his sword to the sky, gaining a divine golden aura that blew the others back with its sheer power. He instantly lunged for Morgana, thrusting his sword at the cat-human. Morgana barely dodged it, getting a little bit of fur cut off his ear instead of his head being skewered. "Face divine light!" The Heavenly Punisher switched targets and went for Shinji, going for an overhead slash.

Shinji sidestepped it, sending Hercules forth to strike. The Heavenly Punisher brought up his sword, blocking the punch, and countered with a palm strike from his other hand. Shinji was sent flying, hitting a pillar.

Haruko lunged, wildly swinging her sword. With the Heavenly Punisher distracted at that moment, her attack made it through his guard and left a large gash in his armor; exposing emaciated flesh. She attempted to follow up with a thrust from Mordred's halberd.

The Heavenly Punisher deflected the attack with his sword, going in for an attack. Akari dashed in, swiping at the newly created gap in his armor. He dodged it, kicking Akari in the stomach and knocking her onto the ground. He prepared an overhead slash to end Akari.

Akari smirked, whipping out her revolver and unloading all six bullets into his skull. If that didn't kill him, Haruko freezing him solid and Shinji and Morgana shattering him most certainly did.

"Good work, team!" Akari cheered. "You guys think we can keep going?"

"If we avoid fighting as much as possible? We might be able to make it all the way to the Treasure at this pace!" Morgana said. "I can feel the thing, and we're definitely getting close."

"I think I could keep going at least for a little longer." Haruko said, panting from exhaustion. "Just, give me a moment to catch my breath."

Shinji snorted. "Jeez, you've really fallen outta shape, Haruko."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You were the one who was always running around like you never ran outta gas."

"I was part of the track team! Of course I had stamina! Besides, you spent most of your time goofing off playing video games." Haruko retorted. "And I've barely done anything physical in months."

"Will you two _please_ calm down?" Morgana requested. "We can talk later. For now, we should get moving."

* * *

They headed through a door on an upper level of the church, which led to a staircase up to the roof. After that, it was through a tower to head for where the Treasure was. Progress was smooth, simple, and easy.

Until the came across a one-eyed monster. Well, something significantly more disgusting. It was a dark green sluglike creature with hard armor on its head that made it look like...

"That's a penis." Haruko flatly said, disgusted. She didn't even think she could be after seeing what Kobayashi thought of the boys in Shujin, but it looks like this Palace is just filled to the brim with surprises. "And we're not getting through without fighting that thing."

"I ain't touchin' that thing." Shinji stated.

"I'm not either." Akari said. "Um, Morgana?"

"I'll smash that pussy." The penis slug dully said.

"I'm keeping my paws clean of this nonsense." Morgana said, shuddering. "Should we just shot this thing with everything we've got and hope it goes down?"

"Anything's better than touching that thing." Haruko said, pulling out her pistol. She summoned Mordred, who was looking at the slug with about as much disdain as his user.

The team fired everything they had (spells and bullets) at the horrible slug, riddling it with enough holes to make it able to claim it was swiss cheese. Frostbitten and burnt swiss cheese that had been cursed, but swiss cheese regardless.

* * *

Beyond the penis slug that everyone decided to blot from their memories and never mention again was a couple hallways that led back into the main castle. They arrived on an upper level of a large hall with a large staircase leading down to the lower floor.

Passing through the door on the other side, they came into a room full of treasure.

"I'm guessing we've found it?" Akari said.

"Yep!" Morgana said, pointing up to the center of the room; where there was shimmering thing floating in the air. "There it is."

Haruko tried to grab the shimmering thing, only for her hand to pass through. "So... how do we take it?"

"Well, I'll explain when the time comes." Morgana said. "For now, we should head back to the real world."

* * *

They appeared in the alley outside Shujin.

"So, what should we do now?" Haruko asked. 

"Well, first and foremost, we need to prepare." Morgana said. "Take a few days off to rest and train. Gather supplies. Get better equipment if possible. While it's Akari's call when we do it, I'd say doing it on Wednesday would probably be ideal."

"Wednesday sounds good." Akari said. "A couple days ta get everything set up."

"Meet up on the roof Wednesday after school." Haruko said to Shinji. "It's our preferred meeting spot when we can get away with it. If it's not an option, alley."

Shinji nodded. "See ya there."

The three went their separate ways, hoping they can end Kobayashi's reign of terror.

Morgana smiled. If anybody could do it, it'd be these three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 2
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 1
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 2
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, ???: Rank 2


	7. Tokyo Daylight

4/16/18 (Monday)

While eating breakfast (curry once again, thanks to Gin Mori), Akari received a message from Haruko.

HS: " _Hey, after school, wanna hang out? It'd be nice to just relax and enjoy each other's company instead of working for once._ "

Akari took a few moments to decide her answer.

AS: " _Sure thing! :)_ "

* * *

Once school was out, they met up out front.

"So, what do ya wanna do?" Akari asked. 

"I'd like to just run around the school with you. It'd probably help us in the Metaverse a lot, but I don't want to be near Shujin if I can get away with it right now." Haruko said. "How about we just go to the arcade? The one in Shibuya's amazing." 

Akari shrugged. "I don't really know anywhere to go, so it's your call."

"Arcade it is!"

* * *

The arcade (apparently it was called the Gamer's Paradise) had just about every arcade game you could think of and then some.

"So, what do you want to play?" Haruko asked. 

Akari was too overwhelmed to respond. Everything was so colorful, and everyone was so noisy. "Umm... you pick." She said after several seconds of silence. "I don't really... go to arcades much."

"Well, let's go look around and see what speaks to you." Haruko shrugged.

Looking around, Akari wasn't really enthused with most of her options. Gun About and the other shooting games didn't really appeal to her, dancing games and the like weren't up her alley either, and most of the other assorted games didn't seem that fun. 

And then she heard excited shouting coming from a crowded corner of the arcade. She decided to investigate.

Apparently, two people were playing some 2D fighting game. On one side was a girl Akari's age (short purple hair in a bob cut, purple eyes, and wearing the Shujin uniform), and on the other was a guy who was probably twenty.

The girl was a dominant force, keeping up an unstoppable pressure on her opponent. If her foe got even the slightest moment to breathe, she closed the distance and continued her offensive with terrifying precision and force.

Akari was amazed. That game seemed really fun. 

"Jeez, Watanabe-san's really going hardcore today." Haruko remarked. "And I see you're interested in her favorite game."

Akari snapped out of her amazed stupor. "Wait, Watanabe? Like the guy who runs Indestructible?"

"Watanabe's a pretty common surname." Haruko pointed out. "It's possible, but I kinda doubt it. He doesn't have any siblings, and he never mentioned having a kid."

"Winner! Player One!" the announcer on the game declared, as Watanabe finished off her opponent.

"So, who's wants to play me next?" Watanabe asked. 

"Me!" Akari instantly said, walking up as Watanabe's previous opponent stormed off. She sat down in his former seat, looking at all the buttons. It quickly occurred to her that she had exactly zero clue how to do anything. "I don't know how to play."

Watanabe giggled. "I don't think I've ever seen someone go from that excited to defeated before the round even starts. You know what? I'm feeling like you might be pretty fun to at least lab out a couple combos I've been working on. I'll teach you. I'm Yui Watanabe."

"Akari Suzuki." Akari said, as the game went to the character select. There was over forty characters, and the game wanted her to pick three. "Who should I pick?"

"Whoever speaks to you." Yui said. "I don't know what your playstyle is, so I can't give any recommendations."

Akari looked through the roster. She automatically picked an anthropomorphic cat (which got a very pleased purr from Morgana), and then just went with a couple of characters who vaguely resembled Shinji and Haruko.

Something seemed to change in Yui, as she selected three very nasty-looking villain looking characters. "So, you have decided to challenge me." Her voice took on a sinister tone. Akari noticed a menacing glint in her eye that wasn't present before. "Choose the field of battle."

Akari gulped, picking a forest as the setting for her first battle in "Ultimax Arena".

* * *

Akari got completely trounced. Even with Yui spending half the game (and losing two characters) teaching Akari, she just went and curbstomped Akari into the ground.

"You're actually pretty decent for someone who's never touched a fighting game before." Yui complimented. "Or played any video games."

"How'd you-" Akari tried to say.

"You were completely baffled when I mentioned 'Hadoken', and you stare at your controls like it's some alien creature." Yui stated. "You are the greenest of greenhorns I've ever seen. And that's saying a lot."

"Th-thanks?" Akari was honestly unsure how to respond.

"I'm willing to teach if you want to. I'll be around here pretty much everyday after school. I'll let you and Shirogane-san hang out now." Yui got up and left.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Empress Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

Haruko sat down in Yui's former seat. "Watanabe-san's definitely one of the weirder people I know. And yes, I'm including Morgana."

"Hey!" Morgana indignantly shouted.

Akari and Haruko played a few rounds (with Morgana commentating) before heading home.

* * *

??/??/18

"It would take some rather complex tactics to deal with everything thrown at you. I doubt you'd know how to do it on your own." Eikichi surmised. "Who taught you?"

Akari smiled. "Wouldja believe if I said I learned it from a video game?"

"At this point, it's somehow more plausible than anything else."

"Just wait until ya see our later adventures. That was some pretty crazy stuff."

* * *

4/16/18 (Monday)

Akari waved to Gin as she entered Salinger. "Hey, Mori-san."

"Good evening, Suzuki-san." Gin said. "I was wondering, would you be willing to learn how to make coffee? It would be nice to have a helping hand around here."

Akari shrugged. "Sure thing. Honestly, I could probably use some coffee in the morning."

* * *

While the coffee was brewing, Akari decided to ask a question.

"Hey, Mori-san? Why did you take me in?"

"That's... why do you ask?" Gin responded, caught off-guard by the question.

"It's just... I probably looked like way more trouble than I'm worth." Akari said. "And you didn't even really know me. Heck, we still barely know each other."

"Well, I heard you needed somewhere to stay, and I wanted to help. It's as simple as that."

Akari doubted that was the entire reason, but she decided against pressing the matter. "So, uh, why don't you want me staying in your house?" 

"Like I said before, conditions there are not suitable for you to stay there."

"Then, why do you still live there? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to discuss it. Can we please not continue this conversation?"

"Sure thing. I'm just, really curious."

"Trust me, when I was your age, I was the nosiest boy you'd ever meet."

Akari chuckled. "At least you weren't arrested for a crime you didn't commit 'cuz of it."

"I suppose I had it lucky, huh?" Gin smiled. "Just, make sure you don't get yourself into trouble again. You getting into trouble reflects poorly of me as a guardian." 

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/18

"Someone had to be sheltering you, correct? It wasn't like you're homeless." Eikichi said, adjusting his glasses.

Akari snorted. "Fujinara-san, with all due respect, we both know where I live in Tokyo. It'd be like me asking about Mako's life."

Eikichi slammed his fists on the table. "Don't you dare bring her into this!"

Akari simply smiled, before continuing.

* * *

4/16/18 (Monday)

Akari smiled. "Wasn't planning on it." technically, it wasn't a lie. She had no plans of getting into trouble. 

The bell on the door ringed, alerting them to a customer coming in. Said customer looked like a punk, between her bright yellow (dyed) hair, ripped jeans, and biker jacket. She sat down at the bar. "The usual." She stated.

"Coming right up, Oshiro-san!" Gin said, getting to work.

"Who's that?" Akari whispered to Gin.

"Ichiko Oshiro. She's a doctor who lives and works in Yongen-Jaya. And a regular here."

"If we could get medicine from her, that would probably be really helpful in the Metaverse." Morgana suggested.

"Who's the new girl?" Oshiro asked. "Since when did you have a daughter?"

"I'm not his kid." Akari said. "I'm staying with him due to school related stuff. He's a family friend."

Oshiro shrugged. "I know you're not telling the whole truth, but I don't really care. If you get hurt, you're welcome in my clinic."

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Death Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/18

"I noticed quite a few medicines among your possessions. Who gave you them?" Eikichi questioned.

"Somebody who went to medical school?" Akari suggested.

"Stop lying."

"I didn't _lie_."

"You know what I mean."

* * *

4/17/18 (Tuesday)

HS: " _Yo, wanna grab a bite to eat?_ "

Akari gave it a few moments of thought, before answering.

AS: " _Where you thinkin'?_ "

HS: " _The Big Bang Burger down in Shibuya._ "

AS: " _Sure thing! :)_ "

* * *

They ended up finding each other on the walk over, where they passed by a trio of punks.

"Just ignore them and keep walking." Haruko ordered.

"Hey, Shirogane-kun!" One of the punks said, running up to them.

"You're acting awfully familiar, Hori-san," Haruko spat, speeding up in an attempt to avoid them. 

"Hori-san" chuckled. "I just wanted to see how my favorite 'track traitor' was doing. Heard you're in some deep trouble with Kobayashi."

"And if I remember correctly, you three got kicked out of the track team before Kobayashi got hired. For being assholes to everyone and everything you meet."

"How's your daddy?" a different punk asked.

"Leave us alone."

"I was just-"

"I said leave us alone!" Haruko yelled.

The punks decided to leave before Haruko threw a punch.

* * *

After ordering their food, the two sat down at a table.

"Hey, Haruko." Akari said.

"Those guys are just a bunch of punks. They go to Shujin, sure, but you shouldn't have to worry about them." Haruko said.

"You got really mad when the mentioned your dad. What happened?"

Haruko sighed. "I really don't like talking about my sperm donor."

"That bad, huh? My relationship with my dad ain't perfect, but it still isn't _that_ bad."

"He fucked my mom and only stayed with us for some political advantage. It was neglectful at best for me." Haruko said. "He's gone now, Mom divorced him and he just pays child support in exchange for never hearing from us ever again."

Akari didn't say anything. How could she? 

"Kobayashi leaked all that bullshit to the students last year. That's when I snapped and punched her. Not like I wouldn't have ended up punching her after all the abuse she put the track team through." Haruko chuckled. "Good thing we're gonna put a stop to her bullshit, right Akari?"

Akari smiled. "Do we really have a choice? We're both getting expelled if we don't pull it off."

(Lovers Arcana: Rank 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 3
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 1
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 1
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 1
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, ???: Rank 2


	8. Keeper of Lust

4/18/18 (Wednesday)

The team gathered on the roof, ready to take Kobayashi's Treasure and stop her reign of terror on Shujin.

All eyes were on Morgana, who was sitting on a desk.

"So, how are we doing this?" Haruko asked. "The Treasure is probably still intangible."

"That is a problem." Morgana said. "A problem I know how to solve."

"Well? What's the trick?" Akari asked.

"We send a calling card."

Haruko stared at Morgana like he was an idiot. "Why would we tell her we're going to stop her?"

"Think of it this way. You would think of your desires as being something fluid, not able to be stolen. They're part of what makes you, you. But, if you were made aware of your desires, your ' _heart_ ' being ripe for the taken..."

"Then the Treasure would turn solid and we could snatch it up!" Shinji realized.

Morgana smiled. "Exactly. The problem is, we only get one shot. The impression a calling card makes only lasts for about twenty-four hours, give or take. Akari, I just want to confirm, you think we're ready, right?"

Akari nodded. "Honestly, I'm fired up for this. We're doing it ASAP."

"Alright, that just leaves one question. Who's making the card?" Morgana asked.

"I'll do it." Haruko instantly said. "I hate Kobayashi about as much as Shinji, and I'm pretty sure _I_ won't get us caught in the process."

"Hey!" Shinji exclaimed, annoyed by Haruko's not-so-subtle jab.

"Well then. If you're doing it, Haruko, it'd be perfect if you could get it set up in time for tomorrow morning." Morgana said. "That way we could make our actions known and strike on the same day."

"Got it! By the time Kobayashi comes in next morning, she'll know all about it." Haruko assured. "You guys make your last minute preparations. Anything to make sure this goes smoothly."

* * *

4/19/18 (Thursday)

When Kobayashi came to Shujin the next morning, she saw some students gathered around the bulletin board.

Out of curiosity, she read the message posted up there. It was on a red and black card with swirly patterns and a top hat with a flaming mask.

"'Rika Kobayashi, the lustful demon of sin.'" Kobayashi read out loud. "'We will steal your distorted desires and make you confess to your crimes with your own mouth, you bitch. You cannot stop us. Signed, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'"

"What does that even mean?" One of the students questioned.

"All of you, get to class. And if you find the person responsible, tell me." Kobayashi ordered. She knew she shouldn't be reacting this so harshly, but something about this felt wrong. Like it might actually happen.

_In the Metaverse, Shadow Kobayashi laughed. "So, the meddlesome children plan to overthrow me? Let them try!"_

Just around the corner, the team was watching as Kobayashi stormed off.

"Nice!" Shinji complimented, high-fiving Haruko. "You really managed to get under her skin."

"I have a talent for it. And I did look up similar stuff online to make it perfect." Haruko said.

"I do have a complaint." Morgana said. "'The Phantom Thieves of Hearts'?"

"You've basically been teaching us how to be master thieves. And I felt like it would be wrong not to sign our calling card with something."

"Well, it ain't the worst name in the world." Akari said. "Let's meet up after school in the alley. We'll head into the Palace and straight for the Treasure without any distractions."

* * *

After school ended, they immediately headed into the Palace. The atmosphere now was more intense, like the entire cognitive world was planning on destroying the team. 

"The entire castle's on high alert now." Morgana said. "Kobayashi's definitely thinking we're stealing her Treasure. All that's left is to do the deed."

* * *

They went straight for the Treasure room. For some odd reason, they didn't see any guards along the way. 

Not even the Treasure room had guards inside. 

"So... how are we supposed to get that thing out?" Haruko asked, pointing at the Treasure. It was a giant crown, about as big as a couch.

"I guess you and Blaze can carry it out?" Akari suggested. "Mona and I can keep watch and protect you guys while you haul it out."

Haruko and Shinji did as ordered, hauling the crown out the door. The moment they hit the stairs, however, an arrow hit Shinji's foot and knocked him off balance. Haruko lost her grip on the Treasure due to her partner dropping it, causing the crown to roll down the stairs.

Where it came to a stop right in front of Shadow Kobayashi, flanked by hundreds of guards. And her cognition of Shinji, who was stroking his master's side.

"So, this was your master plan?" Shadow Kobayashi questioned, astonished by the stupidity of these thieves. "Literally _carry_ my crown out of my castle?"

"Kobayashi." Haruko hissed, summoning Mordred. Mordred aimed his halberd at Kobayashi, the icy mist that comprised his steed's mane growing more intense. "You can throw a hundred Shadows at us, and we'll destroy you anyway!"

"Oh, this time, they're not going to be fighting you." Shadow Kobayashi smiled, grabbing the Treasure. It shrank down to a normal size, and she put the crown on her head. All of the Shadows, and her cognition of Shinji, melted into dark ooze. She did the same.

Shadow Kobayashi reformed into a giant deformed monster with pink skin. Her head was enormous, with a tongue that was far too long for her mouth and was constantly lolled out. Her body was still giant, but comparatively tiny for her head, with four arms. Her arms held various eating utensils (except for her lower right, which had a wine glass), all golden and razor sharp.

She sat upon a massive golden chariot, pulled by faceless cognitions of the volleyball team. Sitting in the chariot in front of her was a massive golden goblet (that resembled a trophy) filled with teenage boys and red wine. For some reason, the goblet gave Akari the creeps.

"I'm going to be the one to end your lives!" Shadow Kobayashi declared, clanging her weapons together in anticipation of the slaughter.

Haruko made the first move of the battle, using Mordred to unleash a wave of ice at Shadow Kobayashi's chariot. Some of the volleyball students took the attack, leaving the chariot unharmed. New students came in out of nowhere to replace the ones killed in the attack. 

Shadow Kobayashi unleashed a wave of fire from her mouth, forcing the team to scatter from their position at the top of the stairs. Akari slid down the railing, jumping off onto the volleyball students. She used one as footstool to go straight after Shadow Kobayashi, summoning Caulfield for a tandem strike.

Akari barely managed to twist around to avoid a fork being thrusted at her, landing on the chariot instead of attacking Kobayashi in the air. She then had to jump off before she could make an attack, due to Kobayashi swinging a knife at her.

"Got any ideas, Mona?!" Akari called out. Caulfield unleashed an Eiga blast upon Kobayashi, who barely flinched. 

Morgana landed next to Akari. "We need to get that chariot out of the way first." He said. "Where's Blaze?"

"Hercules!" Shinji declared.

The sound of metal cracking echoed through the room. Hercules had punched one of the chariot's wheels hard, cracking the gold. He followed up with several more, completely destroying the wheel.

"There's Blaze." Morgana flatly said. He quickly had to dodge a knife thrown at him by Kobayashi, which returned to her hand instantly. The chariot exploded into dust that faded away, leaving Shadow Kobayashi to sit on the floor like some commoner. She spun around to face the team, gold goblet staying in front of her.

Haruko joined Akari's side, pointing her sword at Kobayashi. "Not so tough without your ride, huh, Kobayashi?"

"Knight, _please_ stop taunting her." Akari requested. "She's probably not any less dangerous."

"Correct, thief!" Kobayashi bellowed, unleashing another wave of fire upon the team. The team jumped to the side, hiding behind pillars. Except for Shinji, who leapt through the inferno with Hercules at his back to strike at Kobayashi. The blow landed, actually causing Kobayashi to flinch from the force.

"Like I said earlier, not so tough now, huh?!" Haruko shouted from behind a pillar. 

"Insolent child!" Kobayashi let out a second wave of fire to force Shinji back, before drinking from her golden goblet. All of the (admittedly minor) damage the team had inflicted was healed.

" _Great_. She can heal herself." Haruko sarcastically grumbled.

"On the plus side, I'm pretty sure the crown's acting as a power source for her." Morgana said. "If we could just get it off her, we'd be golden."

Kobayashi moved forward, swinging her knife and fork to smash the pillars our heroes were hiding behind. Akari dashed behind her, firing off a couple shots of her revolver at the crown. It shifted, but not enough to matter. Especially when Kobayashi just adjusted the crown back into place a moment later. 

Haruko and Morgana unleashed their respective elemental spells, blasting the goblet with everything they had. A small crack formed along the rim. "Blaze!" Morgana called out. "Smash that thing!"

Shinji obliged with a full force punch from both him and Hercules, completely shattering the goblet and splashing the red liquid within everywhere. The teenage boys burnt up into ash, unable to survive without their master's "love".

Kobayashi howled like an animal, wildly throwing her weapons and swinging around her tongue at the team in a desperate attempt to murder them all. "You children! Don't you understand?! I won my medal! I got this job! I have responsibilities! I'm allowed to do whatever the _fuck_ I want!"

"Knight! Think you can get Mona up onto Kobayashi's head?" Akari shouted, sliding underneath a slash of Kobayashi's knife.

"How would I..." Haruko looked down to Morgana, before smirking. "You ready for this?"

"What are you..." Morgana began to questioned, before realizing the plan. "I was born ready. Ace, give us the signal when you spot an opening!"

Akari fired a few shots of her revolver at Kobayashi, hitting her directly in the eye. It didn't really do much damage, but it certainly got Kobayashi's attention. She switched her Persona over to Caulfield, using his wings to boost herself up out of the way of Kobayashi's flurry of attacks.

Kobayashi smirked, this girl was a practically a sitting duck in the air. She swung all of her weapons at Akari, hoping to make a killing blow.

" _NOW_!" Akari called out.

Haruko smirked, grabbing Morgana by the head. She wound up, and hurled Morgana at Kobayashi's crown.

He hit the thing head first, almost knocking it off, and bounced upwards. "You should've payed a little more attention to us." He said, pulling out his slingshot and firing several pellets to knock the crown off Kobayashi's head once and for all. It hit the ground with a thud.

Kobayashi screamed, melting into dark slime. She reformed into her human form, dazed and exhausted.

"No! You- you- you can't do this! I-"

" _CAN IT_!" Shinji yelled. "You don't get mercy from us! Chihiro almost _died_ because of you!"

"Let's kick her ass!" Haruko shouted.

Following Haruko and Shinji's lead, the team went into an All-Out Attack. They were like blurs, attacking Shadow Kobayashi from every angle with everything they had. Shinji and Haruko finished things off with an uppercut and a rising slash from both them and their Personas, sending Kobayashi flying.

Kobayashi hit the ground right next to her crown, desperately reaching for it. She managed to grab hold of it, shrinking it back down to a normal size.

Only for Shinji to blast it out of her hand with a fireball.

"You're not goin' ta grab that thing again." He stated, tone tranquil but brimming with rage.

"Please, I- I- Society expects so much of me. I just wanted to relieve myself of tension. Is that so wrong?" Kobayashi said.

Shinji grabbed her by the collar of her clothes, lifting her up. "When you're doing on people who don't want anythin' to do with it, yes." He punched her in face with his free hand. "You almost killed Chihiro. You hurt so many more. You've got one option. Go out and confess to your evils. All of them."

"O-okay!" Kobayashi desperately said, sobbing. She faded into particles of light which vanished into the ether. Shinji picked up the crown that was sitting on the ground, smirking.

"Thank goodness, Blaze." Akari said. "I thought you were gonna kill her for a moment."

"I considered it. I really did." Shinji said. "But I decided that it'd probably leave a bad taste in my mouth if I did that."

"You have a good heart, Blaze." Morgana said.

A rumble shook the castle.

"Oh, crap. I forgot about this."

"Forgot about what?" Haruko asked. Another rumble. She was really starting to worry.

"The Palace is falling apart now that we've stolen the Treasure and beaten the ruler!" Morgana shouted, running out towards the exit. The others stared in shock, before another rumble reminded them that they should get moving too. 

* * *

The team appeared in the alley outside Shujin, exhausted. 

"Could you please give us a warning next time?" Haruko requested. Her leg hurt like hell.

"Shinji, you got the Treasure, right?" Akari asked.

Shinji smiled, holding up an Olympic gold medal.

"I guess that makes sense." Haruko said, staring at the medal. "She started acting on those desires after winning the gold medal all those years ago. Stress probably got to her. Almost makes her sympathetic. Almost."

"So, we're done?" Shinji asked. "We've changed Kobayashi's heart?"

"Should be the case." Morgana said. "If you see Kobayashi, keep at a safe distance. I don't know what's going to happen from here on out."

"What now?" Haruko asked. "Just, wait for Kobayashi to confess?"

"Looks like it." Akari said. "Let's just do what we normally do when we're not thieving."

* * *

4/28/18 (Saturday)

Days passed, and Kobayashi had been a no-show throughout. It had made everyone nervous. A student assembly had been called in the gymnasium by Kobayashi today, either an omen of doom or a sign of victory for our heroes. 

Haruko looked to Akari, who gave her a nervous smile. This was the moment where the truth would be unveiled. Was Morgana right, and Kobayashi's heart and has been changed? Or was he wrong, and Kobayashi was going to expel Akari, Haruko, and Futaba?

Kobayashi sat down in front of a microphone on the stage. Several seconds of silence went by, everyone wondering what was going through her head. Finally... she spoke.

"I... I have something to confess. I have... acted in ways unbecoming of a teacher." she said, prompting smiles from the team. They had done it. "I've abused my students in a misguided attempt to 'toughen them up'. I've spread rumors about several students and ruined their reputations." she gave an apologetic look to Akari and Haruko. "I had tried to get some expelled because I didn't like them."

The entire room was shocked. Some were shocked due to unawareness of Kobayashi's actions, while others were shocked that she was confessing to such horrible acts. 

"But worst of all... I have sexually harassed several students. And even caused one to attempt to take his own life. I know I cannot truly repent for this despicable actions. The only path I see to bring justice for those I hurt... is to take my own life."

"Hey, you can't do that!" Shinji yelled. "Everyone you hurt, all of them, for all their pain, they have to live with it! So, why do you get to take the easy way out? I get it, it hurts. But you can't just take your own life and expect it to be 'justice'! The only justice is for you to live with your actions in prison. Like how we have to live with what you did to us."

"You.... you're right. I am sorry, everybody. This will be the last any of you see of me in this school. I hope my permanent absence will bring this school to much happier and healthier place."

* * *

After school, the team met up on the roof.

"You could not believe how hard it was to keep my excitement under wraps!" Haruko said. "I swear, I felt like I was going to burst. We won!"

"I gotta say, I didn't expect Shinji to step in at the end there." Morgana remarked. "Guess that analysis of you having a good heart was even more correct than I thought."

"No, it's not that." Shinji said. "I just feel like there're fates worse than death."

Akari smiled. "Well, we won. What should we do to celebrate?"

"Hold your horses." Morgana said. "We should try to avoid being seen together for a little while. We're still the prime suspects in this case, and constantly being seen together happy about Kobayashi's confession is bound to draw attention."

"Well, how about we wait until Children's Day? That medal's bound to sell for a lot, so we can spend most of the money on a celebration dinner." Haruko suggested.

"I know this hotel that lets you eat as much as you want for an hour." Shinji said. "How 'bout we go there?"

"That sounds great!" Akari said. "I'll deal with the medal. Does Watanabe-san buy stuff off customers?"

"Sometimes." Haruko said. "And given how expensive a genuine gold medal is, I think he'll more than willing to purchase it."

"Then it's all settled." Morgana said. "One week from now, we'll celebrate. Meeting, adjourned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 3
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 1
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 1
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 1
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, ???: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 1


	9. Beneath the Mask

5/3/18 (Thursday)

Coming back from school, Akari listened to the TV at Salinger.

It was the news, talking about Kobayashi's confession.

" _And on the latest update on the Rika Kobayashi case, it has been confirmed that she is currently in custody for further questioning._ " The newscaster said. " _It is still unknown as to why she decided to turn herself in after over a year of working at Shujin Academy._ " 

"Suzuki-san, you didn't get involved with any of it, did you?" Gin asked. 

"I didn't." Akari said. "But some people calling themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts did."

"Well, if you see trouble, stay out of it. You're supposed to be laying low."

"Don't worry about it." Akari assured with a sheepish smile. "I think I've learned my lesson."

"Just, stay safe, alright? I worry about you."

(Hierophant Arcana: Rank 2)

"Trust me, you've got _nothing_ to worry about." 

Akari headed up into her room. Morgana hopped out of her bag, sitting down on the bed.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Morgana asked.

"Sleep." Akari stated, flopping onto the bed.

"But there's-"

"Plenty of _sleeping_ to be done tonight." Akari interrupted. "We're not on a timetable or anythin'. Our team's done for now."

" _Fine_." Morgana relented, pouting.

* * *

Akari found herself in the Velvet Room again.

"Good, whatever time it is, Justine, Caroline, and Igor." Akari said.

"I believe it is still night in the waking world." Justine said. 

"Your victory over that lustful teacher was certainly a sight to behold, Trickster." Igor said. "But your rehabilitation is far from over."

"I kinda assumed that was the case. I still haven't even the slightest clue who the other Wild Card in Tokyo is, and I doubt beating one teacher's gonna be enough to avert 'ruin', whatever that means." Akari said.

"You are, however, moving in the correct direction. Continue down this path, and your rehabilitation shall progress smoothly."

(Fool: Rank 4)

"Thanks for the info. Are you done with me?" Akari asked.

"For now, yes. Continue your life in the real world, and wait for the opportunity to show them all what you can do." Igor said, smiling.

* * *

5/4/19 (Friday)

Akari woke up, annoyed. "Could he be any more vague?"

"Who're you talking about?" Morgana asked, yawning.

"Wild Card stuff." Akari answered. She really didn't feel like explaining Igor to Morgana at six in the morning. 

* * *

Later that afternoon, Akari headed down to Indestructible to sell the medal (and a bunch of treasure Morgana had looted from the castle while they weren't looking).

"Watanabe-san?" Akari said, opening the door. 

"Shirogane's friend." Watanabe stated. "What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you could buy this off me?" Akari asked, holding out the medal.

Watanabe took it, inspecting the thing closely. "Looks real."

"I- uh..." Akari desperately tried to think of a lie.

"Rule number one of doing business with me. Don't ask questions, and don't expect me to ask questions." Watanabe said. "I can get you thirty thousand yen for it." He looked out the shop window, noticing somebody was coming. He gave Akari a brown paper bag. "Take this outside, and I'll give you your money. And don't look inside it either."

Akari nervously nodded, carrying the bag outside. Some scruffy guy walked past her into Indestructible. She heard him and Watanabe speak calmly for a few moments, before suddenly the scruffy guy started yelling at her. She decided to take a walk around the block.

* * *

When Akari returned to Indestructible, the scruffy guy was gone.

"Good work, kid." Watanabe complimented, taking the bag back. He handed her a stack of yen bills. "Thirty thousand yen for your trouble."

"Thank you, Watanabe-san." Akari respectfully bowed.

"Don't bother. It's payment for the job and the medal. If you're not gonna buy something, then scram."

Akari "scrammed".

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Hanged Man Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/18

"Among your-"

"My things was a bunch of model weapons?" Akari interrupted. "I bought them. With money."

"That part was assumed." Eikichi said. "Where'd you get them?"

"Internet." 

"We both know you're lying."

"I'd hope I know I was lying."

"Stop playing games with me."

Akari laughed. 

* * *

5/5/18 (Saturday)

Akari was assaulted by the delicious beauty that was the smells in the hotel. The buffet had just about everything you could think of and then some.

"This place is beautiful." Akari said, wiping away a small tear. "I never wanna leave."

"Well, sadly, we've only got an hour here." Shinji said. "So let's binge until we puke! I'm gonna gorge myself on all the sweets!"

Haruko chuckled. "Let's try avoiding throwing up, alright? And I'm here for meat."

"Sushi!" Morgana cheered, smelling what felt like an ocean's worth of fish. "I'm gonna eat it all."

"Watch our things while we get food!" Haruko said, running off. Shinji followed in short order, leaving a very annoyed Morgana and an extremely annoyed Akari behind.

Akari sat down at their table, pouting.

When Haruko and Shinji, their plates were filled with only the most delectable of their chosen foods. And Haruko was also holding another plate for Akari.

Said plate was covered in beans. Lots of beans. There were other things in the beans, but Akari didn't want to dig through it all to find out what they were. Akari wondered if Haruko accidentally grabbed a portal to the bean dimension instead of a plate.

"We, uh, got you something." Haruko said. "I didn't really know what you liked, so I just kinda went with my gut."

" _I don't like beans_..." Akari mumbled.

"Good to know." Haruko said, before digging into her plate of delicious meats.

"C'mon, Akari. Let's show those two how it's done." Morgana urged, hopping out of Akari's bag. "A proper meal, with-"

Akari picked him up, putting him back in her bag. "I get it."

* * *

While she was getting an actual balanced meal put together, Akari decided to listen in on a conversation.

"Did you what happened with that Kobayashi woman?"

"Something about a confession?"

"A confession caused by some group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. At least, that's what they claimed. I, for one, support this group in their endeavors." 

"Please, those tryhards are just lying to make themselves look 'cool'. Probably somebody playing a prank."

"Then why would that Kobayashi just suddenly up and confess?"

"Huh. They're still talking about us." Morgana remarked. "I was wondering what the public's thoughts were."

"It's pretty cool to leave an impression like that." Akari said, walking up to the fish table.

"Ooh! Make sure to grab some tuna!"

* * *

Akari returned to their table with a proper meal (even if it was heavily fish-based), where Haruko and Shinji were already partway done with the meals.

"Hey, you guys hear what everyone's talking about?" Akari asked.

"About the Phantom Thieves? We've even got our own forum." Haruko said, pulling out her phone to show Akari the site in question. It was called the Phantom Aficionado Website, or the Phansite for short. "All sorts of supportive stuff from people all across Japan, and even a couple from some western countries. I'm surprised that so many Mexicans are aware of our actions."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you guys." Morgana said. "Would you guys, want to keep doing this? Stealing hearts and bringing hope to the world?"

"Honestly? If it means I can keep going into the Metaverse and running around like I used to, I'm up to it." Haruko said.

"That's a pretty selfish reason, Haruko." Akari pointed out.

"I didn't say anything about not wanting to make the world a better place. Besides, shouldn't doing good be more important than why?"

"Fair 'nuff. I'm in." Shinji said. "If I can stop another bully like Kobayashi from doing something evil, it's a win for me."

"And I'm sorta the leader, so I guess I'm in by default." Akari said. "So, any ideas for the team name?"

"The Diamonds!" Shinji instantly suggested.

"We're not going with that." Haruko said.

"Well, what about we just stick with the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts'?" Morgana suggested. 

"Y'know, I kinda like that." Akari said. "The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Yeah. It's exactly what we do, and everyone calls us by that anyway."

"If you think it's good, it's good with me." Shinji said.

"I came up with it, so don't expect complaints on my end." Haruko said. She raised her glass of water up for a toast. "To the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!"

The team clinked their drinks together.

(??? Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

Akari had to escort Shinji and Haruko to the bathrooms a few minutes later, after those two decided to gorge themselves until they actually had to puke.

"So, Haruko, _what_ was that you said about not throwing up?" Morgana said as Haruko and Shinji slowly walked out of the bathrooms. 

" _Can it,_ _cat_." Haruko hissed. "I think our time's about up at the buffet anyway."

"You feel like everyone was starin' at us?" Shinji asked, pressing a button to call the elevator so they could head home. 

"We are a buncha teenagers without any adults to accompany us. In here, we're bound to stick out like a sore thumb." Akari said. "We should prolly figure out some place ta celebrate where that won't be the case."

"I like your forethought." Morgana purred. "At the very least, Salinger's always an option."

"Salinger?" Haruko asked.

"It's where Akari's living."

"Short version: I live in the attic of a coffee shop because my caretaker here has decided he doesn't want me in his house for some reason." Akari explained. "I still don't understand what he's hiding, but I ain't gonna press it."

The elevator doors opened up, and Shinji stepped forward to get inside.

Only for somebody to shove him out of the way. Said somebody was a man in his late thirties or so, with a head of clean black hair and a goatee, wearing a smart-looking suit. He was flanked by several people who looked to be of high status. He scoffed. "Foreigners."

"What did you just say about Shinji?" Akari questioned, glaring at the man.

"I said that he was not from Japan." the man stated, annoyance apparent in his tone.

Akari recognized that voice. She froze up on the spot.

The man took the elevator down, leaving a very annoyed Shinji, a very confused Haruko, and a very scared Akari behind.

"You okay, Akari?" Haruko asked.

"Y-yeah." Akari said. "Just... I feel like I recognize that guy from somewhere."

"Well, let's just go home. Hopefully, we'll never have to see him again."

"Let's meet up in a couple days." Morgana said. "I've got something I think you guys might be interested in seeing. And see if you can figure out who made the Phansite."

And so, they all headed back home, confident. They were the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They were going to be the justice when the law couldn't punish the wicked. The darkness to snuff out the sinful light. The... 

* * *

??/??/18

"Bad guys to punish the fake heroes." Akari concluded. 

"You're expecting me to believe your ridiculous story?" Eikichi questioned. "Talking cats, magical ghosts, and worlds made of cognitions?" He almost found it amusing. Almost.

"Believe what you want to believe." Akari said. She felt like the drugs were starting to filter out of her system, at least a little. "Have I contradicted the reports you read? 'Cuz they're prolly wrong if so."

"You haven't contradicted them." Eikichi plainly stated. "Anyway, let's talk about your next case. Satsuki Katsushika. This one, this one I have to thank you for if you truly did it. For what that bastard did to my wife and daughter, I thank you. But, why did you target him?"

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Judgement Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

Akari shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Katsushika, huh? He was definitely one of our more annoying cases."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 1
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 1
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 2
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1


	10. Mementos

5/6/18 (Sunday)

Akari was sitting on her bed, wondering what to do today. "I guess I could hang out with-"

Her phone went off, notifying her that someone was messaging her.

Said someone had a weird imp creature for their icon.

???: " _Hello. You may call me Ali Baba._ "

AS: " _Who're you?_ "

AB: " _A friend. You did something to Kobayashi, didn't you? Something to make her confess._ "

AS: " _Lemme restate that. Who in the heck are you?_ "

AB: " _I created the Phansite. Let's just say we're already acquainted._ "

Akari went down the list of people she knows. It wasn't one of the thieves, she doubted it was Miyazaki-san or Watanabe-san, and Yui seemed unlikely. And this person seemed to be aware of Kobayashi's confession, so she doubted it was somebody from home (even if Narukami-san and his friends were probably astute enough to figure it out the Phantom Thieves' identities). That left one person who was likely to be Ali Baba, one who had experience with computers.

AS: " _Sakura-san?_ "

At least a minute went by without a response.

Ali Baba's icon changed to Futaba Sakura's.

FS: " _You caught me. But you are one of the Phantom Thieves, right? Along with Shirogane-san and Taro-san?_ "

Akari took a moment to debate whether she should reveal herself to Futaba. "Hey, Morgana? You think I should tell her?"

Morgana pondered the pros and cons of it. "I'm... not sure. It's up to you."

AS: " _I'm going to go talk with Haruko and Shinji real quick._ "

FS: " _Take your time._ "

She switched over to the group chat.

AS: " _Hey, guys? Sakura-san found us out._ "

ST: " _How? I'm pretty sure I haven't tipped anybody off._ "

HS: " _Probably because Sakura-san was with us when I tried to confront Kobayashi after Kano-san's... y'know. I dragged her into it because I wanted extra backup._ "

AS: " _Either way, she's pretty certain of us. Should I tell her?_ "

HS: " _Tell her in person. Let's try to keep our after school activities to a minimum on the chat, alright?_ "

AS: " _Got it! :)_ "

Akari switched back over to messaging Futaba.

AS: " _Mind meeting up in Shibuya? By the arcade? In an hour?_ "

FS: " _It's a date._ "

Akari sighed with relief. She decided to make sure Shinji and Haruko knew. 

AS: " _Gamer's Paradise in an hour! Be there or be... something! :)_ "

* * *

They met up outside the arcade, where Futaba was waiting.

"So, you guys managed to make Kobayashi confess?" Futaba asked.

"Not just confess. Repent." Haruko said. "Or something to that effect. So, you made the Phansite?"

"Yep! It took me... a couple hours? It was pretty easy."

"It's a pretty cool site." Shinji said. "I could never do somethin' like this."

"Not like any of the rest of have coding experience." Morgana pointed out, popping his head out of Akari's bag.

"Fair point."

"Are you talking to that cat?" Futaba questioned. 

"I'm not a cat!" Morgana yelled.

"He doesn't really like to be called that." Akari said. 

Futaba decided she should ignore the "talking cat but only to three people" thing. "So, you have any plans about your next targets?"

Akari shrugged. "Right now? Not really. And unless we all agree on it, I'm not letting us go after anyone."

"Actually, I think I might've found one." Haruko said. "I've been reading some posts on the Phansite lately. And I've seen plenty of requests for the Phantom Thieves. Most of them don't feature real names, but a couple do. I cross-referenced one with the Metanav, and guess what happened?"

"It went off." Akari said. "So, we've got a possible target. Any idea about where their distortion is?"

"I'm... just going to go now." Futaba said. "You guys got, whatever you're doing, covered. I'll just keep running the Phansite."

"Let's hang out later!" Akari said.

"Sure thing!" Futaba said as she walked away.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Sun Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

"Not long after Kobayashi's confession, a forum emerged dedicated to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Eikichi said. "Who created it?"

"Do you know everybody who creates a doujin for something you made?" Akari retorted. "And even if I did know, they didn't do anything illegal. Honestly, they did everything they could to moderate the darn thing."

* * *

With Futaba gone, that still left the question of their next target's distortion. They all opened up the Metaverse Navigator app.

"The name is Junpei Tanaka." Haruko said. "He's been stalking his ex-girlfriend for the past three months, and is starting to be a tad unhinged."

Both Akari and Shinji's phones went off, confirming that he was indeed a target. All that was left was a location and the cognition.

"Mementos." Morgana said.

All of their phones went off. The app gave them a prompt to begin navigation.

"What's Mementos?" Akari asked.

"Are those the things ya put in Diet Coke to make it go all crazy?" Shinji asked. Haruko facepalmed.

"So, every person has a Shadow. Their dark inner self." Morgana started to explain. "Even you guys had them before you got your Personas. If someone's desires become twisted and deep enough, the Shadow gains enough power to create a Palace. But, all those other Shadows have to go somewhere, right? That's what Mementos is. It's basically the Palace of general public."

"So, for random shitheads who aren't _that_ bad, we go to Mementos?" Haruko asked.

Morgana smiled. "Precisely. What do you guys think about going there right now?"

Akari shrugged. "I'm good for it. You two?"

Both Shinji and Haruko gave a thumbs-up.

Akari let the Metanav take care of the rest.

* * *

Mementos wasn't quite what they expected to see. It was a subway station, even if it was a particularly creepy subway station. The atmosphere was crimson, and utterly uninviting. Dark roots jutted out of the floors and walls, criss-crossing all over the place with no sense of logic or reason.

"Here we are. Mementos, the Palace of the people." Morgana said, in his Metaverse form. The others quickly noticed they were in their Metaverse outfits. "This is where I used to be before I found Kobayashi's Palace."

"So, this was like your home?" Akari asked.

"In a sense. It's hard to really call it 'home' when I spent most of my time running from Shadows that were stronger than me." Morgana shook his head. "But that doesn't matter now. We've got a job to do, and I've got some things I want to show you down below."

They head down to the first platform, which led to a empty tunnels with train tracks.

" _Great_." Haruko grumbled. "Massive ass subway tunnels that're probably just as massive labyrinths. Doing this on foot's going to be a pain."

Morgana stepped forward, smirking. "Lucky for you, we're not doing this on foot." he posed. " **TRANSFORM**!"

He jumped into the air and, in a puff of smoke, transformed into a bus. It was fairly small and old one (Shinji recognized it as a Citroen), with blue headlights, cat ears, and a tail on the rear bumper.

"Like it?" Morgana asked, his voice coming out of the radio.

* * *

Akari paused, expecting Eikichi to say something about the cat turning into a bus.

"Well? Are you going to continue with the story?" Eikichi asked.

"You're not questioning my talking cat turning into a bus?" Akari said.

"I watched Totoro. Continue with the story."

* * *

"Why didn't you do that in the castle?" Haruko questioned. "Could have saved us a lot of time."

"Do I look like I can fit through those doorways?" Morgana pointed out. "Get in."

The Phantom Thieves all did just that, sitting in the back.

There was a long silence before somebody pointed out the obvious.

"Somebody has to drive." Morgana said. 

Akari smirked. She cracked her knuckles. "Time to bust my moves."

Haruko made sure to buckle up. She prayed that Akari was actually a good driver (or at least not suicidally reckless).

* * *

The Monabus (as Shinji had called Morgana in this form) drifted around a corner, nearly falling on its side. They came to a stop in front of a massive red portal, the subway tracks twisting into it.

"Nailed it!" Akari cheered, while her partners were trying to not to lose their lunches.

" _You did not_..." Haruko said, before retching.

Morgana poofed back into his usual cat-like self, dropping the team on the floor. "Here we are. Our target should be just ahead."

They hopped through the portal, coming out into a circular room.

Their target (Junpei Tanaka) was standing in the center. He was an extremely generic dude in his mid-twenties, wearing a suit and tie. Honestly, if it wasn't for the glowing yellow eyes, you wouldn't think he was a Shadow at all.

"Who are you?" He asked, that familiar echo that Shadow Kobayashi always spoke with resounding through the room. It definitely made him sound slightly more intimidating than he normally would've (especially with the otherwise nasally voice he had).

"We're here to stop you." Akari said. "Just 'cuz you got rejected doesn't mean you get to be a jerk about it and start stalkin' somebody!" 

"Like I'm the worst person in the universe!" Shadow Tanaka spat. "Katsushika's way worse!"

"Whoever that is, that doesn't make what you're doing right!" Akari pointed out.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow Tanaka screamed, melting. He reformed into a weird orange goblin monster with a bowlcut. "I'm gonna tear your bones out and use them to drink your blood!"

"Unsettling threat notwithstanding, he ain't gonna be any trouble." Morgana stated, summoning El Coyote to blast Shadow Tanaka with a bolt of lightning. Tanaka collapsed instantly.

The entire crew went into an All-Out Attack, assaulting him from all angles.

When their offensive was over, Shadow Tanaka was utterly defeated. Honestly, it was disappointing how quickly he fell.

Shadow Tanaka reverted to his human form. "I'm- I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be telling us that. The person you're stalking is the one you should be telling it to." Haruko said. 

"I- I understand." Shadow Tanaka bowed his head in shame. "But, before I go, could you please grant me one request?"

"Let's hear it." Akari said.

"Take down Katsushika. He's abused so many of his pupils, and I fear the worst of the one that remains." Shadow Tanaka faded into particles of light, leaving behind a small painting of some fruit.

Shinji picked the thing up. "How much do you think we can pawn it off for?"

"Probably not enough to be worth the effort." Haruko said. "I know for a fact Watanabe-san's not exactly interested in buying art, and I've got no clue where else we'd be selling a random painting we just so happened to find."

"I guess one of us can keep it as a souvenir?" Akari suggested.

"I call dibs!" Shinji instantly said. Haruko groaned, but didn't object.

"So, that's it, right?" Akari asked. "Job's done."

"Actually, there was one last thing I wanted to show you guys." Morgana said, before transforming into the Monabus once more. "It's deeper in Mementos!" 

* * *

After a rather short drive (one that still instilled pure terror in Haruko and Shinji), they came to a subway platform. At the other side was a black wall with red markings on it.

"A wall?" Haruko questioned. "I nearly had a heart attack from Akari's reckless driving to see a wall?"

"It's not a wall." Morgana said. "I think it's a door."

Akari walked up to inspect the wall. She knocked on it, and the markings glowed. The entire thing opened up, revealing a path further down.

"I don't know how deep this place goes... but I think that whatever's at the end is the secret to getting my memories back." Morgana said. 

"Well, I guess we'll journey through this place when we don't have a job?" Akari suggested. 

"Sounds good, leader." Morgana smiled. "Let's get outta here."

(Magician Arcana: Rank 2)

"I'm driving." Haruko stated.

* * *

After a drive out of the Mementos (Haruko was significantly saner than but not nearly as fast as Akari), they returned back to their homes.

On the train home, Akari decided to check the Phansite. There was now a poll on the front page.

"'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves?'" Morgana read out loud.

Akari answered yes.

* * *

??/??/18

"Did you have to mention that?" Eikichi questioned.

"If I don't mention everything that happened along the way, I'm going to, A: Leave out important stuff in the process, and B: Forget what I was talking about. I sorta, remember all of it better when I talk about it in detail. Stupid drugs." Akari said. "I'm trying to remember some of the later stuff and it gets kinda hallucinationy."

" _Fine_. If it means getting more accurate information, then tell me everything."

Eikichi was beginning to consider getting a fucking drink.

* * *

5/7/18 (Monday)

AS: " _Yo, Shinji._ "

ST: " _What's up?_ "

AS: " _Wanna hang out? I just realized I mostly just spend time with Haruko._ "

AS: " _She forgets you exist. Signed, Morgana_ "

There was a long pause between messages.

AS: " _Sorry 'bout that! Morgana stole my phone for that message a moment ago. He says that he's just telling the truth._ "

ST: " _Well, I actually got somethin' I wanna tell ya. Wanna meet up in that diner in Shibuya?_ "

AS: " _Sure thing! :)_ "

* * *

They met up at the diner, sitting down.

"So, what were you wantin' to talk about?" Akari asked.

Shinji sighed. "Chihiro came out of his coma last night."

"Really? That's amazing!"

"I guess." Shinji sighed again. "It's just... he's somehow stronger than me."

"You mean that emotionally, right?" Akari asked. "'Cuz it would be really weird for somebody who came out of a coma to be able ta overpower you."

Shinji nodded. "I told him what happened, and you know what he did? He laughed. Smiled. Was happy to hear Kobayashi's out of commission."

"So...?"

"And I said it was all my fault he jumped."

The temperature of the room seemed to drop, the air becoming tense.

"What did he say?" Akari asked. She really hoped Shinji was okay.

"He said that it doesn't matter. We're both alive, and Kobayashi confessed outta nowhere." Shinji said. "Told me I should just keep goin' on like nothin' happened. I- I want to be strong like him. My Persona's like my heart, right?"

"Something to that effect." Morgana chimed in.

"Then if I can make my heart stronger, then Hercules should be stronger too, right?"

"That does sound logical." Akari said, trying to think of a reason why it would be wrong. She couldn't think of one. "Well, let's do our best to make that happen!"

The pair fistbumped.

(Moon Arcana: Rank 2)

* * *

5/8/18 (Tuesday)

AS: " _Hey, team!_ "

ST: " _What's goin' on?_ "

HS: " _Is something wrong?_ "

AS: " _Nothing's wrong. I just wondered if we could have a group study session._ "

HS: " _Midterms are starting tomorrow. And given Shinji's track record with anything school related..._ "

ST: " _Hey, I always ace English._ "

HS: " _That's because you spent half your childhood in the USA. And that's still only one subject. Regardless, I'm up for a study session. And we can even use it to talk about our after school activities._ "

ST: " _I'm good with it. How 'bout the diner we talked at yesterday?_ "

AS: " _Sounds good! :)_ "

HS: " _Why do you always do that :)?_ "

AS: " _'Cuz I like to? :)_ "

* * *

They gathered at the diner, various textbooks scattered across their table.

Haruko yawned. "History's probably my worst subject." She stated. "What's yours?"

"Math." Shinji instantly answered.

Akari shrugged. "I'm just kinda _okay_ at everything?"

"Good for you." Haruko said. "By the way, did either of you find anything out on Katsushika?"

Shinji shook his head.

"We haven't really had much time to think about it." Morgana said. "And besides, we should wait until after the exams before worrying about the Phantom Thieves' next target."

"For all your insistence of being a human, I'd rather be a cat right now." Haruko said. "Learning's fun. Reading's fun. Studying isn't."

"I swear I recognize the name Katsushika from somewhere, though." Akari said.

"Don't worry about it." Shinji said. "When exams are over, there ain't gonna be a snowball's chance in hell of him not confessing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 2
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 2
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 2
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2


	11. Suspicious Person

5/12/18 (Saturday)

After three days, the exams were finally over. The test scores were put up on the bulletin board, where most of the students were gathered.

"Woohoo, top half!" Akari cheered.

"You got forty-ninth." Haruko pointed out. "You barely got there..." She noticed her score. "Yes, top twenty!"

"You got nineteenth." Akari smugly echoed.

"Oh, shut up! Shinji, where'd you place?" 

"Sixty-sixth." Shinji said.

"Well, it's better than last." Akari said, shrugging. "What do you guys wanna do?"

"Food?" Haruko suggested.

"Food!" Morgana yelled, waking up from inside Akari's bag. "I want sushi!"

"Sushi's too expensive." Akari said. "How 'bout Big Bang Burger? I want somethin' greasy today. And we can get one of those fish sandwiches for you, Morgana."

" _Fine_..." Morgana whined.

"I swear, you're such a kid sometimes, Morgana."

The team walked off to go eat.

Somebody went off in the same direction.

* * *

Getting off the subway, Morgana had an odd feeling.

"Somebody's following us." he stated, popping his head out of Akari's bag.

"Really?" Haruko whispered, looking around. Nobody seemed to stick out.

"Keep walking." Morgana ordered. "It's a girl from Shujin. I couldn't get a good look at her, but she's definitely following us."

Shinji spun around. "Hey, you! I know you're followin' us!"

"Shinji! What the hell are you-"

A girl ran up to them, an apologetic look on her face. She was taller than the others (even if it was only by an inch or two), her hair was a dark green and tied up into a braided ponytail, her eyes were brown, and she was dressed in the Shujin uniform (albeit with a small heart-shaped golden pin and black tights). "Sorry about that. I was just, trying to figure out how to talk to you all? I don't really have many friends and I just noticed you," She gestured to Shinji. "And I thought, 'Wow! That guy would be a perfect model!' 'Cuz I'm really bad at drawing men and you seem like a good specimen for it. And-"

"Could you please slow down?" Haruko requested. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mako Fujinara!" The girl did a twirl and flashed a peace sign. "I actually go to Shujin too. I'm a third year in Class 3-C, and-"

"We get it." Shinji said. 

" _Sooooo_ , would you be fine with modeling for me? I can get you guys into that big art showing thing tomorrow. Being Katsushika-sensei's pupil has its perks!" 

"We'd like to see that showing." Akari said. " _Right, guys_?"

"Why would you-" Haruko quickly realized what Akari was thinking. "Right. I'm not really an art person, but why not?"

"I don't have to model if I don't want to, right?" Shinji asked.

"Sure thing! Just remember to keep the idea in mind in case you decide to go with it!" Mako ran off.

* * *

??/??/18

"You're bringing her up to mess with my head, aren't you?" Eikichi questioned, glaring at Akari.

Akari weakly chuckled. "Why don't you wait and find out? You know we're friends."

"Just get on with it."

* * *

5/13/18 (Sunday)

The art gallery was... an art gallery. Akari didn't really know art very well, and pretty much thought everything looked nice. Apparently the main man whose works were the main attraction was one 'Satsuki Katsushika'. That name was a hit in the Metanav, but didn't go to Mementos. 

"Be careful." Morgana stated. "He has a Palace, and we need to figure out keywords. If you encounter him, do not piss him off before that moment."

"Actin' awfully dramatic about it, Morgana." Akari said. "Just, don't do anything stupid, okay? That should cover everything."

"So glad you guys could make it!" Mako said, running up to the team. An old man was following behind her. He was dressed in a yukata, a very simple and cheap-looking one. To tell the truth, Akari thought he looked like a hobo, if slightly better dressed than your average hobo. "These are the new friends I made, Katsushika-sensei."

"Anyone who's a friend of my pupil is a friend of mine." Katsushika said. "I hope you all enjoy my work."

"Hey, why don't we split up and meet back here in half an hour?" Akari suggested. "That way we can appreciate more of Katsushika's art."

"I'm going with blondie!" Mako instantly said. "If it's okay with you, Sensei."

Katsushika softly chuckled. "Of course it is."

* * *

Looking through all the art (mostly credited as Katsuhshika's with the occasional other artist that they didn't recognize), Akari and Haruko came to one conclusion. 

"He's done literally every artstyle under the sun and then some." Haruko said.

"It's kind of odd how consistent he is about it." Morgana said. "I can't really find a painting that shares the same style with another."

Akari brought her hand to her chin, thinking. "That is weird. I don't know much about art, but don't artists usually tend to stick to one single style that they're good at? You wouldn't draw somethin' like Leonardo DiCaprio if you're better at drawing somethin' that looks more at home in an anime."

"Leonardo DiCaprio?" Haruko asked.

"You know, the one guy from Italy? Like, crazy machines and stuff? The turtle?"

"I'm pretty sure you mean Leonardo Da Vinci." Morgana said. 

"But you _are_ right." Haruko said. "He's too good at too much. It's not inherently evil, but it's raising an eyebrow."

* * *

Shinji was looking at a rather interesting piece. The primary focus was on a girl, standing before a horrible storm of what could only be interpreted as negativity. The girl seemed to be in despair, like there was no hope for things to improve. The painting, simply titled "Hatred", was in a distinctly western style that stuck out even more from the other works in the gallery. It was credited as being made by Katsushika.

"This one's... really interestin'." Shinji said. "It's so... sad. Like nothin's gonna ever get better. I know that feelin' all too well."

Mako awkwardly laughed. "Yeah, Sensei's amazing, isn't he?" she awkwardly laughed again. "Why don't we go look at literally _anything_ else?" 

She grabbed Shinji by the arm and dragged him away.

* * *

The team gathered about a half hour later, even if Mako was still with Shinji.

"So, did you guys like what you saw?" Mako asked. Her smile seemed forced.

"Lots of pretty pictures." Akari said. "All I can say is he's really good at everything."

Mako awkwardly laughed yet again. "Well, Sensei's the master of all Japanese art. Of course he'd be good at everything." 

"He's not just a master." Haruko said. "I'm not an art person. I've never been one. I'll probably never be one. Katsushika's not a master. He's beyond that. It's like he's worked on each style for decades."

"I don't want to talk anymore." Mako said.

"Hey, what if I came over and did a little bit of modelin' for ya?" Shinji suggested. "With Haruko and Akari, of course."

Mako paused. "S-sure. Just, can we not talk about Sensei?"

"Sure thing." Haruko said.

* * *

Katushika's place (where Mako did the majority of her work) was... a shack. Mako (and Katsushika) insisted it was an atelier, but it was a shack. As far as the gang was concerned, it was a shack. Mind you, it was still a fairly livable place to be, if a tad iffy in regards to plumbing and electricity. 

They all gathered in a small art studio, Mako's typical place of work.

"Here we are! My home away from home! Where the magic happens! My-" while Mako was rambling, Akari decided to let Morgana out to scout things out for any clues to keywords. 

As far as Morgana was concerned, there really wasn't much of note. No artwork on the walls, not much furniture in most rooms, and the rooms weren't even very well-kept; with peeling paint and cracked floorboards and a lot of neglect in all but Katsushika's bedroom and Mako's studio.

The only thing that stuck out was an odd door with weird blue and yellow patterns on it. The door was locked, so Morgana couldn't get through (even if he could probably pick the lock without much trouble), but that alone was suspicious.

Morgana heard shouting coming from Mako's studio, and ran back.

" ** _SHUT UP_**!" Mako yelled.

"I just want to help y-" Akari tried to say.

"I don't need help! I'm just _fine_!" Mako pointed to the door. "I don't want to ever see you around here again!"

Akari sighed in frustration, walking out the door. 

"What happened?" Morgana asked.

"I started pressing her about Katsushika." Akari answered. "Let's just go outside and try to figure out keywords." She pulled out her phone and opened the Metanav. "Katsushika's atelier."

It worked. All that was left to figure out was the distortion.

Back in the studio, Mako sat down, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry for blowing up on your friend." she said, bowing her head a little. "It's just... if it wasn't for Katsushika-sensei, I'd never been an artist. You ever see his most famous piece?"

"Until a few days ago, I didn't even know who he was." Haruko said.

Mako pulled out her phone, bringing up a picture of the painting in question. It was of a woman, with dark green hair, looking at something covered up by purple fog with an indecipherable expression. "The Sayuri. His most legendary work. When I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do." She smiled. "I tracked Sensei down and begged him to teach me."

"It's... an interestin' piece. I wonder what that face means." Shinji said.

"I think..." Haruko paused for dramatic effect. "She's hungry. She's hungry and whatever she's looking at is her lunch."

Mako gave her a look.

"Or that's just my stomach talking." Haruko shrugged. "We should probably get going at this point. Wanna exchange numbers in case you need one of us to model for you?"

"Sure thing! Just don't bring.. _her_ around." Mako said.

"Got it." Shinji nodded.

After a quick exchanging of numbers, Shinji and Haruko went outside.

* * *

Not far from the Katsushika's atelier, Akari was busy saying possible keywords into her phone in hopes one of them would work.

"Arcade?" didn't work. "Crypt? Mountain? Bank? Castle? Mansion?"

"Yo, Akari!" Shinji called, running up to her alongside Haruko. "You figure out the keywords?"

"It's his shack." Akari said. "Or atelier, whatever. I just can't figure out the distortion."

"Did you try museum?" Haruko suggested.

" _Candidate found. Beginning navigation._ " The Metanav told them.

"Huh. Coulda sworn I tried that one." Akari said as the world distorted around them.

* * *

"You didn't." Morgana said. He was in his Metaverse form now. "I'm pretty sure you tried literally everything else."

"Uh, guys? Take a look at that." Haruko (still wearing normal clothing instead of her Metaverse gear) pointed up towards an enormous building, entirely made of gold and gemstones. It was the tackiest thing to ever exist. It was two buildings, one short one with what looked to be some sort of garden on top, and another that was covered in jutting out chunks of gold (that would make perfect platforms to climb down from the top on) and was at least 100 stories tall.

"How're we s'posed to get in?" Shinji wondered. The crowd blocked the front door (not that going through the front door was ideal), and walls surrounded the perimeter otherwise. 

Akari looked around. "Car!" She pointed to a car parked by the wall. She ran over to it, trying to use it to climb over. She ended up tripping and falling on her butt. "Ow..."

"I guess without our crazy outfits, we don't have our superpowers?" Haruko said, helping Akari back up.

"Don't worry. Once Katsushika considers us a threat, or at least his Shadow does, your outfits will change and you can summon your Personas." Morgana assured, effortlessly jumping from the car to the top of the wall.

After several minutes of trying to get over the wall, the Phantom Thieves finally managed to get in. Past the wall was a calm and quaint garden, with bridges over peaceful koi ponds.

Instantly upon setting foot on the grass, the Phantom Thieves were engulfed in blue flames. When the fire faded, they were in their Metaverse outfits. 

"How guarded is he?" Haruko questioned. "We barely did anything."

"He's hiding something really big." Morgana said. "Let's get moving."

* * *

Beyond the garden was a set of stairs leading up to the roof of an offshoot of the museum, with a skylight on top. They took off one of the panes, and climbed down with a rope that Morgana provided.

Inside was a gallery full of portraits. They were of teenagers to young adults, and all had an odd shimmer to them. Akari swore they followed her as she moved across the room.

Haruko inspected the plaque beneath a familiar portrait. "Junpei Tanaka." She read out loud. "Try to remember some of these names, and then we'll look them up when we come out. How far are we going?"

"Until we find guards." Akari said. "We're just here ta scope things out for today."

"Got it, Ace!" Haruko saluted.

* * *

Moving onward was more portraits featuring people they didn't recognize. As they reached the exit, they saw two portraits that stuck out, with one large plaque beneath them.

"Eri Fujinara, and Mako Fujinara." Akari read out loud. "'The woman who inspired me, and the child to further my work.'"

_During the interrogation, Akari noticed how Eikichi seemed to be seething._

"What do you think it means by 'inspired'?" Shinji asked. "'Cuz it ain't soundin' like he's doin' the work himself."

"I have... a theory." Haruko said. "But I want to wait until it's confirmed before saying anything."

"Either way, we should get moving." Akari said. "No use thinkin' about that stuff now."

Past the portrait room was the main lobby. After finding a map, they continued onward into a large room with a golden statue of Katsushika. The plaque in front of it read, "The divine one whose genius transcends artistic talent, Satsuki Katsushika".

"Could his ego get anymore overblown?" Haruko questioned. She paused. "Don't answer that."

"Only way that thing could get anymore ridiculous was if somebody covered it diamonds." Shinji said. "Yo, Ace! What's through that door?" He pointed to a door behind the statue, leading deeper into the museum.

Akari peeked through, before quickly shutting it. "Guards. A lot of guards. Let's get out of here." She whispered.

* * *

Back in the real world, the team appeared outside by Katsushika's atelier.

"So, it's confirmed he has a Palace." Morgana said. "And if I'm reading things right, considers his students to be nothing more than property. Cogs in the machine? What's the machine?"

While Morgana was musing about what Katsushika's evils were, the others were having their own conversation.

"We've got our first big job since Kobayashi to do." Akari said. "And this time, we don't have somethin' bad hangin' over our heads like getting expelled. We can take our time! Although," she glanced at the shack. "I'm worried about Mako."

"Me too." Haruko said. "Katsushika's definitely abusing her. At least emotionally."

"I'm thinkin' he might be stealin' her work." Shinji said. "After we looked at this one painting, Mako started acting all weird. She was super frazzled, and that sorta lead into..." He vaguely gestured at Akari. "That whole deal."

"It was my fault anyway." Akari said. "I was one who kept pressuring her about Katsushika. Anyway, we should get going. It's pretty late."

They split up, heading back home to prepare to take on Katsushika's Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 2
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 2
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 2
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 1


	12. Blood of Villain

5/14/18 (Monday)

HS: " _So, I did some research on all the names we saw yesterday. All of them were, as we thought, students of Katsushika's._ "

AS: " _Cool! What'd ya find out?_ "

HS: " _Probably the most disturbing statistic I've ever seen in recent memory. 80% of all of his students have died. 90% due to suicide, and the rest to 'natural' causes._ "

ST: " _Do ya hafta put 'natural' in quotation marks? I kinda doubt he's murderin' his students. Okay, sorta doubt._ "

AS: " _What about Eri Fujinara?_ "

HS: " _Mako's mother. She died when Mako little, leaving her father to raise her alone. And, just like Mako, Eri Fujinara was a student of Katsushika's before passing away from a seizure. The kicker? She died in Katsushika's shed._ "

ST: " _Atelier._ "

HS: " _Mud pit. Either way, it's awfully suspicious. I'm not making any statements until we know more, but this does not paint a positive picture of Mako's mentor. Should we head in after school?_ "

AS: " _Unless Shinji's got somethin' to do, I'm down for it._ "

ST: " _Heck yeah! Let's kick butt!_ "

AS: " _Let's meet up over in the station by Katsushika's place. Easier to talk and way less suspicious than standing around in front of his house._ "

* * *

Upon arriving at the atelier, they noticed somebody was out looking around. She was taking pictures with a camera. The woman was in her late-twenties, with black hair tied into a bun and amber eyes. She was wearing a loose-fitting black t-shirt and jeans.

"Oh, hello there, kids!" She waved. "By any chance, do you happen to know a way I could talk to Katsushika-san? Maybe a connection to his student?"

Haruko shook her head. "Nope. We know his student, but she's not gonna be an option. Who are you?"

The woman facepalmed. "Knew I was forgetting something. I'm Fumika Fumizuki, investigative reporter. So, you know his student?"

"We go to the same school, although she's a year ahead of us."

Fumika wrote that down on a notepad. "Interesting. Anything you could tell me?"

They all shook their heads. "Try lookin' into all of his other students." Akari suggested.

Fumika shrugged. "Well, that does seem like the best course at this point." She pulled a business card out of her pocket, handing it to Akari. "In case you've got something interesting to tell, call me. And please keep it to newsworthy things." 

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Devil Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

??/??/18

"You're telling me you just stumbled upon the one putting out all those stories about the Phantom Thieves?" Eikichi questioned.

"Have you been paying attention? I literally stumbled upon _every_ single ally I made in Tokyo." Akari pointed out.

"Fair point. Continue. What happened inside Katsushika's Palace?"

* * *

5/14/18 (Monday)

After Fumika left, the team entered Katsushika's Palace and made their way back to where they got last time.

"Ace, how big's this place on the map?" Shinji asked.

Akari pulled the map they stole last time out of her pocket. "Bigger than Kobayashi's Palace, I think. And I don't think this map's got the whole thing."

"Jeez. Let's just move as far as we can, alright?" Haruko suggested. "No point in torturing ourselves in this gaudy hellhouse if we can get away with it."

"Pretty much what I was thinkin'." Akari said. She peeked through the door. Less guards compared to last time, for some odd reason. "We can get through now. At least, without a fight."

Moving on ahead was another hall of portraits like the one at their entrance, repeating what they saw last time. Past that was a flight of stairs and couple hallways leading up to a big display of a vase.

"What's up with the vase?" Shinji asked.

Morgana was drooling over the vase. "Shiny..."

"It's a vase?" Haruko suggested. "I doubt it's anything more complex than that."

Morgana slowly stepped towards the vase. That beautiful vase. That treasure.

"We should prolly get moving." Akari said. "That thing's probably got a heckuva-"

Morgana leapt at the vase, trying to break it out of its case. An alarm sounded, prompting the others to scatter. Glass walls rose out of the floor, trapping Shinji and Haruko. Before Morgana could do anything, a laser grid lit up around him, threatening to burn him to a crisp if he tried to escape.

Akari sighed. Of course she was the only one who wasn't trapped. "Hang tight, guys! I'll figure out a way to-"

Shinji punched the glass into shards, freeing himself without trouble. Haruko froze the glass trapping her, shattering it with a slash of her sword.

"Get you out." Akari pouted. "Couldn't you guys just let me have this one?"

"You're such a kid sometimes, Ace." Haruko said.

" _I'm your age_." Akari grumbled. 

"How're we gonna get Mona outta there?" Shinji asked, pointing his thumb at Morgana. 

"I'm pretty sure I saw a room we couldn't go into on the way over." Morgana said. "I'd venture to say that's probably a security room."

"Got it!" Akari said. "We'll getcha outta there soon, buddy!"

Backtracking found the door Morgana was referring to, which got punched off its hinges by Shinji. They slaughtered the guard who was defending the computers inside. A few button presses later, and Morgana was freed. Coming back, they found Morgana sitting in front of the vase in shame.

"Okay, so, what the hell was that?" Haruko questioned. "What was with you?"

"It's just so shiny... completely irresistible to a seasoned thief like myself." Morgana explained.

"And Kobayashi's Treasure didn't count?"

"I had time to steel myself! But that beauty blindsided me. And to be honest," Morgana gave the vase a closer look. "This thing's really suspicious." 

Akari walked up, inspecting it. "Yeah. It's like, magic sparkly instead of normal sparkly."

"What does that even-" Haruko tried to question, before Akari suddenly kicked the glass case and the vase. 

The case shattered as you would expect, but the vase didn't budge. It exploded into black slime, before reforming into a ghostly creature attached to a red diamond.

"A Treasure Demon!" Morgana exclaimed. "Short version, those things have a lot of money and special skills. They can't fight, so let's just wail on it!" He punctuated that sentence with a flipping axe smash to the Treasure Demon's head.

It was instantly downed, turned into a copy of Akari's mask; which merged with her own.

"That was... remarkably easy." Haruko said. "You're sure that thing's worth picking up?"

Akari shrugged. "It's prolly really good for something."

* * *

They downed a snowman Shadow, aiming their guns at it.

"H-hee-ho?!" The snowman exclaimed.

"Just give it up." Akari said, trying to sound 'cool'. "You've lost this battle."

"I- um-" the snowman stammered, trying to think of something to say.

"I almost feel sorry for the little guy." Haruko said. "Almost."

"Listen, I really don't care about killing you." Akari admitted to the snowman. "I'd rather just move on and get to Katsushika's Treasure."

"B-but Lord Katsushika'll kill you guys!" the snowman pointed out.

Akari smirked. "He'll _try_."

"You're really-" The snowman paused, remembering something. "I remember now! I'm a spirit adrift in the sea of consciousness, hee-ho! I'm called Jack Frost, and I'm gonna help you out from now on, hee-ho!"

The snowman, Jack Frost, merged with Akari's mask and granted her another new Persona.

"You're just racking up those new Personas, huh?" Haruko remarked.

"I guess? I only have five now." Akari shrugged.

"That's still quintuple what the rest of us have. Hell, you have more Personas that all of us combined."

"I mean, the Treasure Demon doesn't do anything, so it really doesn-"

"Can we just move on?" Morgana requested. 

* * *

There really wasn't much to talk about regarding the areas that followed. The guards failed to pose a threat to the team, there weren't any puzzles to speak of, and there was even a safe room to rest in.

And then they came out onto the roof, which was a wide-open courtyard with cherry blossom trees along the sides. A massive blue gate with yellow patterns on it blocked the only way forward, leading into the second building.

Shinji took a single step forward, when several posts burst out of the ground. The posts started emitting beams of light, creating a laser grid that was impassable. Gun turrets also made themselves apparent, and an electric barrier blocked off the gate. Shinji slowly stepped back, before having to jump back to avoid a round of gun fire from the turrets.

"Uh, I don't think we're makin' it past this." Shinji said. "Unless we turn all that stuff off."

Haruko noticed a nearby sign. "'Shut off for security behind gate.'" She read aloud. "Great. That's not an option either. And before either of you two say it, we are not going to try dodging the bullets and jumping over everything else."

"Then how're we supposed to make it through?" Akari wondered. "I'm pretty sure I can't make a Persona that's immune to bullets or electricity, or whatever those lasers are, and even if we did," She gestured at the gate. "How are we supposed to open the gate?"

"We make it clear to Katsushika that the gate can be opened by others." Morgana said. "I'll explain once we get back into the real world. We're done here for now."

* * *

Now in the real world, they decided to gather in the subway station near Katsushika's atelier to talk.

"So, how are we doing this?" Haruko asked.

"As we all have been aware, a Palace is one's cognition of a place." Morgana began to explain. "And parts of it line up with parts in the real world equivalent. The church in Kobayashi's Palace was the gym, for example."

"So you're sayin' the gate's got something like it in the real world?" Akari asked.

Morgana chuckled. "Exactly. While you guys were talking with Mako, I explored the rest of the atelier. While I did have to cut things short after you set her off, I did find one thing of note. A door, with the same weird patterns as the gate."

"And that raises the bigger question." Haruko said. "How exactly are we opening the gate?"

"By opening the door in front of Katsushika's eyes. Or at least, having it open in front of him and making him painfully aware that it's not impenetrable." Morgana answered. Noticing some confusion, he decided to elaborate. "Think of it this way, imagine if Akari had a Palace. Let's say it was Salinger. She considers her room to be a place none could ever enter. How would you go about changing that?"

"I'd break into her room while she was there." Haruko said. "That's... actually a lot easier than I expected. Also," Haruko pulled out her phone. "Akari Suzuki." The Metanav gave her a negative.

"Persona users can't have Palaces." Morgana stated.

"It was a joke!" Haruko said. "Mostly. And besides, Akari's got that whole multi-Persona deal going on. Who knows if that makes her different."

"So," Akari interjected, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "How're we doing that whole 'opening the door' thing anyway?"

"Well, at least one of us needs to be in the Palace to make sure the gate stays open." Morgana said. "I'm the only one of us who can pick locks, so I need to be in the real world. That leaves the question of how we're getting inside."

"Well, Mako put out the offer for Shinji to model for her." Haruko pointed out. "Shinji, you're cool with this, right?"

"Modeling as a distraction?" Shinji smirked. "I already model as an after school job."

"Wait, you do?" Akari asked. "Did we ever mess up your-"

"Nah. Tomorrow ain't gonna be good though. I have a shoot then." 

"Well, we can use that time to get things prepared." Haruko said. "I can hang out with her tomorrow, and set up a date for you."

"And I'll, uh, hang out with somebody else or somethin'." Akari said. 

"You can come along with me if ya want." Shinji suggested.

"That! I'll do that." 

"I believe that brings this meeting to a close?" Morgana asked. Everyone nodded. "Then we should get going."

* * *

When Akari returned to Salinger, she saw Gin conversing with someone.

"Ah, Akari!" Gin said. "This is Eikichi Fujinara. He's one of my regulars here. Every month or so, he comes over and has a cup of coffee."

"If it wasn't so out of the way, I'd come here more often, Chief." Eikichi said.

"Chief?" Akari asked.

"It's what my friends call me." Gin explained.

"Got it, Chief." Akari said, with a smile.

Gin smiled back. This kid was definitely a good girl.

(Hierophant Arcana: Rank 3)

"So, who's the kid?" Eikichi asked.

"Akari Suzuki, at your service!" Akari spun around and flash a peace sign. "Although I'm not actually all that trained yet and would probably butcher whatever your order was."

"Wait, you're the kid Chief's taking care of?" Eikichi questioned, surprised. "I had heard about your case, I felt like it was fishy."

"I didn't do it." Akari stated, now in a significantly worse mood. "I'm going to bed."

* * *

5/15/18 (Tuesday)

Shinji's photo shoot was in a park (Inokashira Park), and Akari was honestly surprised. "I never knew anythin' so nice was here in Tokyo."

"How much do you know about Tokyo?" Shinji asked. 

"It's the big city." Akari answered, with a small shrug. "I never thought I'd ever be leaving home, it's not like most people ever really leave Inaba."

"You say that like the place's haunted."

"Eh, we did have those freaky murders or whatever when I was a kid. Inaba's otherwise just any other country town in Japan."

Shinji just stared at her.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the shoot?"

"We got like," Shinji checked his phone. "Half an hour, we'll be fine. Actually, let's do somethin' together."

Akari remained silent, trying to understand what Shinji was suggesting.

"I mean strengthenin' my heart!" Shinji clarified.He sat down on a park bench, gesturing for Akari to sit next to him.

Akari sat down. "So, what were ya thinkin'?"

"Say mean things at me. Don't hold back." Shinji said, a determined look in his eye. "If I can take it without gettin' riled up, that's sure ta mean somethin', right?"

"Probably?" Akari shrugged. "Morgana's the one who'd know, and he's off with Haruko right now."

* * *

" _I want fish_..." Morgana whined. Haruko and Mako were having a bite to eat at an outdoor café.

Haruko sighed. "They don't serve fish here, cat."

Mako giggled. "Do you always talk to your cat?"

"Well, he's actually Akari's cat. And he always meows like that when he wants fish." Haruko explained.

"Oh. I suddenly don't like that cat anymore." Mako said, tone sour.

"Listen, I know you're mad at Akari, and have every right to be. She's pushy and immature." Haruko said. "But she does legitimately believe that Katsushika's bad."

Mako sighed. "Do you think so too?"

"I- I know that if I say yes, you'll be mad." Haruko admitted. "hey, I've got a really weird question. Who's Eri Fujinara?"

"H-how do you know that name?"

"I was doing research on Katsushika when I saw that name. So, who is she?"

"My mom. She... died when I was little. A seizure, apparently. Now it's just me and my dad."

"Thank you. It's just... I was worried. So, Shinji wants to model for you."

* * *

"So, hit me with your best shot." Shinji said.

Akari paused, trying to think of something to say. "You... you talk funny."

"Is that all?"

"Uh, I- your hair looks dumb! You're a big dummy!"

"You're really scrapin' the bottom of the barrel."

"I don't spend my time figurin' out ways to make fun of people. Haruko'd be a lot better for this." Akari admitted. "Hey, what time is it?"

Shinji checked his phone. "It's... oh crud. It's almost time for the shoot!"

"I coulda sworn we had more time." Akari said. "I sorta do wanna see whatcha do when we're not around."

"It's not very excitin'." Shinji said. "Just me posin' for pictures in fancy outfits."

"And I wanna see the outfits! I've been meaning to update my wardrobe ever since I moved to Tokyo."

"You're such a kid sometimes, Akari."

(Moon Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

HS: " _I've got the date set up for tomorrow, right after school. Fujinara-senpai says that Katsushika won't be there for an hour._ "

ST: " _I gotta stall her for an hour? That's not soundin' good._ "

AS: " _You got this, Shinji. And Morgana's gonna be there ta pick the lock anyway. Just get her to ramble for an hour._ "

HS: " _And try showing up late while you're at it. Burn as much time as you can._ "

AS: " _Well, let's just hope everything goes okay._ "

ST: " _I hope so._ "

HS: " _Relax, guys. It's gonna be fine._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 2
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 3
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 3
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1


	13. Will Power

5/16/18 (Wednesday)

The time had come. They were going to change Katsushika's cognition today, no matter what it takes.

"Alright, we're heading in." Akari said. "You know what ta do."

"It's not too late to back out now, right?" Shinji asked. He was wearing a shirt that really left nothing to the imagination, and booty shorts to match.

"Nope!" Haruko said, pushing him towards the atelier. "Do us proud!"

Akari and Haruko headed into Katsushika's Palace, leaving Shinji and Morgana on their own in front of the atelier.

"Just, do what you can." Morgana said. "I'll need at least ten minutes to pick the lock. Stupid cat paws."

Mako opened the door. "Oh, Taro-kun! You came! I thought you weren't gonna come for a good minute. It's been what, twenty minutes already? You late 'cuz of something like, I dunno, missin' the train?"

"I got held up." Shinji answered, hoping that Mako wouldn't press further. "So, mind lettin' me in?"

* * *

Akari and Haruko reached the gate, finding that it wasn't open. They expected this, of course, but it was still kind of annoying.

"Alright, looks like we're waiting." Haruko said, sitting down. "So... excited for any anime?"

Akari shrugged, sitting down next to Haruko. "Not really? After the whole 'getting arrested' thing, I sorta stopped watching TV in any form. Really should get back to it. Once I get one."

"You don't have a TV?"

"Well, there's one downstairs in the actual shop. But I doubt Mori-san would like it if I decided to switch the channel to watch anime."

"Is he hard on you?"

"Nope. He is a bit distant, but you can't really expect much when I'm a 'delinquent'." She put that word in air quotes.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story. And I'd rather have everyone there before telling it. How 'bout I tell you after the job's done?"

"Sure thing." Haruko offered her fist. They fistbumped. "Of course, we still have to wait on Shinji. What's taking him so long?"

* * *

This could possibly be the most awkward moment of both Mako Fujinara and Shinji Taro's lives. Both of them felt like they were going to die from embarrassment.

It all started a couple minutes ago, when Shinji started running out of things to distract Mako with. That's when Morgana came up with the brilliant idea of trying to seduce her.

This led to the most cosmically awful pickup lines that anyone would ever have the misfortune of hearing. Which, combined with Shinji's attire, made him very uncomfortable. Mako, on the other hand, was completely confused and just as embarrassed for different reasons.

"I- um- could you-" Mako stammered, unable to formulate a proper thought. "Could you please keep your shirt on? I didn't ask for a _nude_ model."

"Why not?" Shinji purred. He was deeply regretting every action he had ever taken to reach this point in his life. "Like what you see?"

"Not... really?" Mako tilted her head, staring at Shinji. She really didn't understand what he was trying to accomplish.

"Hey, why don't we go take this somewhere else?" Shinji suggested. 

"But, there's not really anywhere else to go. And my canvas is right here." Mako pointed out.

"What about that room with the blue door?"

"Katsushika-sensei says to never go near there!" Mako instantly said, as if by habit. "I mean... the door's locked, so we can't get in there anyway..." She awkwardly chuckled. 

"I'm almost done!" Morgana called out. "And by my estimate, Katsushika should be here pretty soon! We just need to open it in front of him!"

Shinji smirked. At the very least, the plan itself was going great, even if it made him regret all of reality converging to create the last minute or so. He started walking towards the door, Mako desperately trying to dissuade him.

"Please, Taro-san, just stop." Mako said. "Katsushika-sensei's gonna be here any moment now, and he's not gonna be very happy if he sees us messing around by the locked room."

They came all the way up to the door, where Morgana was still frantically working on getting the door unlocked. 

"What's the kitty doing?" She asked, completely confused.

"Picking the lock." Shinji plainly answered.

"Almost done..." Morgana muttered.

"Fujinara-chan?" Katsushika called out. "I'm back."

"Crap!" Mako exclaimed. "You need to go. Now."

"Ain't movin'." Shinji stated. 

Mako fruitlessly tried pulling him away, right as Katsushika rounded the corner and saw them.

"Fujinara-chan? What is the meaning of this?" Katsushika questioned, tone dead serious.

"Sensei! I- uh- it's a long story?" Mako said, desperately hoping Katsushika would buy it. 

Before Katsushika could speak, a click echoed throughout the hallway. Morgana had finally unlocked the door, and it slowly swung open.

* * *

Inside the Palace, all the security systems shut down one by one, ending with the gate slowly opening.

"Finally." Haruko remarked, picking up her sword. "You take point, and I'll keep them off your back."

"Good plan." Akari said, rushing ahead with knife in hand. 

Past the gate was another golden building, with a massive room plated with gold tiles. Inside was a couple side rooms, and a golden (and jewel encrusted) statue of Katsushika with a hallway leading deeper inside behind it.

A lion dog beast was guarding one of the side rooms, making it fairly obvious where the security room was.

Akari and Haruko smirked, summoning their Personas in preparation for battle.

* * *

The locked room in Katsushika's atelier was a storage room. Not inherently suspicious, but what was being stored there was.

Copies of the "Sayuri" sat on shelves. They were all copies, ever so slightly off from the original. In the middle of the room was an easel covered by a tarp.

"What- what the hell is this?" Mako questioned. "Sensei, please explain."

"I can tell you pretty good what's going on." Shinji said. "He's makin' fakes!"

"I- many galleries want to see what it was like in person!" Katsushika instantly said.

"But, it was stolen." Mako pointed out, confused. "Why wouldn't this kinda thing be public knowledge that replicas are goin' around? Why would I, the person who comes along to every gallery you've done in Japan, not know about the Sayuri being shown off?"

"You caught me. I bought these off of counterfeiters who've putting them out there." Katsushika bowed his head in shame. "It was the only way to-"

"Why would you knowin'ly buy a fake piece of art? 'Specially your own?" Shinji asked. He walked up to one of the copies, checking for a signature. There was one, and it was Katsushika's. "With your signature on it?"

"Sensei, what's under the tarp?" Mako asked.

Morgana chuckled, pulling the tarp off the easel to reveal...

The Sayuri. The real one.

"Sensei... what's this?" Mako questioned, staring at it. It was the same piece that inspired her to become an artist.

"It's- I created it to replace the original. I used a high-quality artbook for reference."

Mako glared at him. "You're lying. The Sayuri is the one piece I'll always recognize down to the very last detail. It'd be off if you really tried to remake the thing."

"Wow, never thought she'd have it in her." Morgana remarked.

"You- you-" Katsushika was furious. "I don't have to take this from you! I'm calling the police!"

Shinji grabbed Mako's arm, pulling her along as he ran for it. While running, he pulled out his phone, activating the Metanav.

Mako didn't have time to question what was going on before the world warped around her.

* * *

Akari and Haruko walked back out into the courtyard, their mission accomplished. The gate was staying open, and they even found a saferoom nearby.

"So, we're heading back out, right?" Haruko asked. 

"Not unless Shinji and Morgana just fall outta the sky." Akari remarked.

And then Shinji crashed into the ground in front of them. This was shortly followed by Mako landing on him, and then Morgana landing in her lap.

Mako stared at Morgana for several seconds. "Um, hello... kitty thing?" She said.

"Hi." Morgana said. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought."

"Taking what? This is all just a dream, right? I passed out while panicking."

"Do you do that?" Akari asked.

"Nope! But it's been a really stressful ten minutes."

Haruko facepalmed. Shinji groaned. Mako realized she was sitting on Shinji, and stood up.

"You're a lot heavier than you look, Mako." Shinji said, standing up.

"Wait a sec..." Mako took a very close look at Shinji's face. "Taro-kun? Is that you?"

"Yep."

"And Shirogane-san, and- Messy Hair?"

"We go by Knight and Ace in here. He's Blaze." Haruko explained. "It's a long story."

"And my hair's not messy! That's like sayin' your hair just magically braided itself." Akari said. "It's messy chic."

Mako then noticed where they all were. "Where are we?"

"Katsushika's perception of his shack." Morgana explained. "This is what he sees it as."

"But, it doesn't look anything like the atelier." Mako pointed out. "Wouldn't he be crashing into walls all the time?"

"It's a metaphor. This is a giant museum to befit his monstrous ego." Haruko said. "Kobayashi had something like this, except it was a castle."

"You're kidding, right?" 

"I really wish we were." Akari said. "It'd be way easier than tryin' to explain all this crazy stuff. Let's get you outta here. Please don't tell anybody about any of this, alright?"

"Can you tell me everything else on the way out?"

"As long as you keep it to yourself." Haruko said.

* * *

Akari shot six rounds into a dragon, killing it instantly. She tossed a bunch of bullets into the air, and caught them in the chambers of her revolver.

Haruko scoffed. "Show off."

"You're constantly spinning and flipping around like an animal!" Akari shot back.

"You two should calm down." Morgana said. "You're both showoffs."

" _I am not_!" Akari and Haruko both snapped at the same time. They both turned to each other, and then laughed.

"Those two are weird." Mako stated. 

"You're not questionin' our Personas?" Shinji asked.

"It's normal crazy at this point." Mako shrugged. "It's weird, but it's not that weird in comparison. Like when Fall rolls around and it's really chilly even though it's the same temperatures as Spring 'cuz you're used to Summer heat. Or-"

"We get it." Morgana said. "Can we please get a move on? I'm having a bad feeling about sticking around."

* * *

They reached the hall of portraits, and ahead was the statue room. Mako was horrified at seeing all those people, many she knew personally. And then she saw her's and Eri's.

"Even Mom?" Mako questioned. "Is that why you asked me about her yesterday?"

"Yep." Haruko answered. 

"Is- is that why Messy Hair was so pushy?"

"Nope." Akari said. "I just thought somethin' bad was going on, and I wanted to help."

"Once again, can we just keep moving?" Morgana said. "There's something nearby. I can't tell if they're following us or not, but I can tell they're there."

As they headed into the statue room (prompting disgust from Mako at the sight of that gaudy abomination), metal bars sealed the door out.

"I've finally caught you, thieves!" Katsushika, his Shadow, declared.

Shadow Katsushika was dressed in a gold yukata that was extremely shiny and all around tacky. His hair was done up into a horribly ridiculous topknot, and he had bright yellow lipstick that matched his sickly yellow eyes.

"S-sensei?" Mako asked. "What the heck are you wearing?"

"My true wardrobe, unburdened by the lies of humility!" Shadow Katsushika said. "My decrepit shack-"

"Hah! It _is_ a shack!" Haruko said, smirking at Shinji.

"Not the time, Knight." Akari said, shaking her head in annoyance. She gripped her knife tightly, watching as guards began to file into the room. They were in for a tough fight.

"-And ratty attire is merely a ruse, to deceive those ignorant morons who eat up even the worst works I put out!"

"But you don't put in any work." Mako hissed. "You stole everything. You stole from me, all of your other students, and you probably stole from my Mom."

"I created their talents! Ergo, I created their works! It was mine from the moment you picked up the brush, to the day you die."

"So I suppose you didn't care when they started dying left and right?"

"They served their purpose. The road to riches is paved with the blood of the weak-willed and weak-minded."

Mako snapped. This monster, this monster who dared to disguise himself as her kind mentor, he needed to be put down. Made to pay for everything he's done. 

" _Wow, I was worried for a moment._ " She heard her voice speak to her. Her eyes burned gold. " _I thought you wouldn't ever stop believing those lies he told you, and the lies you told yourself. From now on, let's make sure to only see the truth. Or at the very least, stop letting the lies we know get to us. Our target's straight ahead, and nothing's gonna stop us. Your blade is the brush, and their blood will be the paint of your latest masterpiece!_ "

A black mask (with a butterfly-like design) appeared on her face. She grabbed hold of it, slowly ripping the thing off. She gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain, tearing the mask off with a flourish and a spray of blood. Blue flames engulfed her body.

One of the guards began to move to protect Katsushika. Mako rushed forward like a burning comet, appearing behind the Shadow.

She stopped behind it, crouched down. A katana materialized in her hands from the flames, and a sheath for it formed on her hip. The Shadow split in half down the middle, her first victim.

The fire faded, revealing her new attire to go with her new resolve. She was looked like a ninja, with tight-fitting black pants and a sleeveless top that exposed her stomach. She had a long bright green scarf that flowed in the wind created by her power.

"I'm not letting anyone hurt me like you did ever again!" Mako declared, pointing at Katsushika. "Nobunaga, strike!"

Her Persona appeared behind her in a burst of blue fire, nodachi poised to strike. Nobunaga was ten feet tall, dressed in green and black samurai armor. His helmet had a crescent moon on it, shining silver. His nodachi had a hilt closer in design to a European greatsword, with a swirly crossguard and a black blade. His skin was blood red, and he had demonic wings.

Nobunaga swung his sword once, unleashing a tornado that blew away several nearby Shadows.

Shadow Katsushika smirked. "Guards! Destroy her!"

Every single Shadow besides him melted, coalescing into several creatures that made Akari think of blacksmiths.

"I'll cut them all to pieces." Mako stated, katana at the ready to strike. "Nobunaga! Shut them down!"

Nobunaga released a green mist, causing the blacksmiths to start coughing up blood.

"She can poison targets?" Morgana questioned, caught off-guard. He expected more pedestrian abilities, maybe agility boosts at the most complex. If status ailments were her deal, then that made her an interesting asset. Provided Akari brings her into the fold.

"Who cares about that?" Haruko said, readying her sword. "I see an opening."

"Nobunaga, strike!" Mako declared. Nobunaga rushed forward with his nodachi, cleaving two blacksmiths in half. Haruko leapt into the fray at the same time, summoning Mordred to tear into the enemy.

Mordred's halberd impaled a blacksmith, and Nobunaga decapitated it for good measure. "Gotta say, I didn't expect your Persona to be Oda fucking Nobunaga." Haruko remarked, willing Mordred to unleash a blast of ice to cover her rear.

"Pretty cool, right?" Mako replied, easily evading a hammer smash from a blacksmith and countering with slash to slice of his arm. "Although yours is pretty cool too."

"Don't leave us out." Morgana said, summoning El Coyote to strike a Shadow with a bolt of lightning. Shinji jumped over him, smashing a blacksmith into the ground with a single heavy punch.

Akari merely smirked, filling the last blacksmith with lead going straight to the skull. 

"Sensei." Mako stated, pointing her katana at Katsushika. "This is it, prepare to-" she collapsed onto her knee. "Prepare to-" She passed out, having burnt herself out fighting.

More Shadows started piling into the room, transforming into a variety of monsters ready to tear the Phantom Thieves to shreds.

"Morgana, Monabus time! Haruko, load Mako in! Shinji, break the gate down!" Akari ordered.

"Transform!" Morgana declared, shapeshifting into the Monabus. Haruko scooped Mako up off the ground, shoving her into the back. Akari jumped into the driver's seat before Haruko could take over, and slammed the gas pedal down. Shinji punched the gate blocking them from the way out, breaking a wide hole for the Monabus to make it out.

They hightailed it out of there.

* * *

They returned to the real world in short order, and brought Mako to a small diner to explain the basics of what the Phantom Thieves were and what they did.

"So, you guys were behind Kobayashi up and confessing out of nowhere?" Mako asked.

"Yep." Akari nodded, smirking. "And we were awesome! You really should have seen us tear her Shadow's defenses down before beating her down."

"Remember when you did that stupid diversion tactic?" Haruko asked. "That really shouldn't have worked, but Morgana really pulled his weight, or lack thereof."

"Hey!" Morgana snapped, annoyed at the perceived insult. 

"It's weirder to me that hearing your cat talk is normal to me now, rather than the actual talking cat thing." Mako said, staring at Morgana.

"I'm a human!"

Mako leaned over to Shinji, whispering. "Is he?"

"Not a clue if he's right or not." Shinji answered. "But I ain't gonna fight 'im on it."

"I'm sitting right here." Morgana pointed out.

"So," Akari interjected. "I was wondering, Mako. Do ya wanna join us? At least to stop Katsushika?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's gonna get us all arrested in a few weeks." Mako said, shrugging. "I'm in."

"Wait, what?!" Shinji exclaimed.

"You guys didn't know? I got this super mocking text about it from Sen- Katsushika." Mako explained, holding up her phone so the others could see it. "He'd never let anything, not even this, mess with a showing. And that's ending on June Fifthish. We've got plenty of time. Especially since we've gotta wait, like, a week anyway because the cops are prolly gonna be swarming all over the place, and I'd really like to not get arrested for being around-"

"We get it." Akari said. She sighed, thinking things over. "Well, we've still got a lot of time. We'll take a week off, use that time to prepare. We still need to get Mako a gun anyway, and I think I have a lead on where to get higher grade healing items."

"I guess that's it then? Welcome to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Mako Fujinara." Haruko said.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Emperor Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Designing Mako's Metaverse outfit was easy, for once. I already had the ninja idea in, and I decided to make it the "sexiest" because she's the oldest girl in the party. After that, it was just tossing in a couple touches like the scarf and the butterfly mask.
> 
> Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese warlord and, while not exactly a hero, was a cultural rebel. He frequently fraternized with westerners, buying their arms and arts, and preferred a meritocracy over a class system. He wasn't exactly a good guy, but typically got a villain upgrade in most works.
> 
> In combat, Mako's the first party member to be particularly distinct from canon Persona 5's. Mako uses wind spells and powerful physical attacks for directly offensive skills, and inflicts status ailments on enemies to debilitate them. Every status inflicting move in the game is available to her, and the new status Poison is her starting spell. She lacks Yusuke's agility buffs, even if she still has the highest agility in the party by far.
> 
> Her All-Out Attack quote is: "C'mon, try a little harder next time!"
> 
> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 2
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 3
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 3
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 3
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 1
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 1
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 1


	14. Sunset Bridge

5/17/18 (Thursday)

MF: " _Hey, where's the shop you guys get your weapons from?_ "

HS: " _First off, please don't text about it. Second, I'll show you after school._ "

AS: _"You got money, right?_ "

MF: " _Already settled. You coming along?_ "

Akari paused to think.

AS: " _Nah. I think you guys have it handled. Haruko, make sure Mako doesn't get anything too big._ "

Akari put her phone away, looking around the classroom. School had let out fifteen minutes ago, and most of her classmates had left.

The only one she knew that hadn't left was Futaba Sakura, who was nervously standing nearby like she wanted to say something.

"Hi, Futaba." Akari said. "You wanna talk?"

"Oh- uh- yes." Futaba said. "Preferably somewhere a little less," She leaned in to whisper. " _Crowded_."

Akari nodded. "Phansite stuff, right?"

Futaba nodded.

* * *

They headed up to the roof to talk.

"So, what's up?" Akari asked, sitting down on a spare desk.

"I added some new features to the Phansite!" Futaba said, significantly more energetic than back in class.

"Cool! What's new?" Akari pulled out her phone, checking the Phansite.

"I added a poll on whether people think the Phantom Thieves are real,"

Akari frowned when she saw the poll, which only had about 15% in favor of the Phantom Thieves being real. 

"And added a proper suggestion box for targets."

Akari looked through it, finding a lot of cases that were definitely nothing. She'll probably test all the names in the Metanav anyway, to confirm which ones are real or not. "This is actually... really helpful, Futaba!" she complimented.

"It was nothing."

"Nothing?! This is probably the best thing ever for us! Now that we have a dedicated board for our targets, it'll just be a matter finding the ones we can get at, and then dealing with the rest." Akari smiled. "Honestly, you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to us. Well, besides Morgana, but that's just because he taught us our Metaverse tricks."

"Th-thank you for the compliment." Futaba said. She really wasn't used to this much praise.

(Sun Arcana: Rank 2)

"You don't have to thank me for everything. Just, do your best, alright?"

"I'll... I'll try! I'll try my best to help you guys however I can!" Futaba declared. Akari could feel her determination, and felt her own resolve to stop the evil in this world grow in turn.

* * *

Akari came back to Yongen-Jaya, deciding to check out a second-hand store near Salinger. 

In the end, she ended up buying a bunch of tin clasps and bobby pins; hoping Morgana would know how to make them into something more useful, and a laptop. While she doubted it worked right now, hopefully she could get it fixed.

She came into Salinger with her new purchases in tow, heading up to her room to put them away.

"Hey, Akari." Morgana said, sitting on the bed. "How was..." he yawned. "School?"

Akari shrugged. "Fine. Futaba's got us a target suggestion box, and a poll, on the Phansite. And, I bought things I think could work for lockpicks, plus a laptop!"

"Why a laptop?" Morgana questioned, staring at the thing as Akari set it down on her desk. "Especially one so..."

"Junky? Well, if I can get it fixed up, you can join in on our chats! Plus, it's nice to have one anyway. And it was really cheap." Akari explained.

"I'm pretty sure most people would just cannibalize it for spare parts." Morgana stated. "Do you even know how to fix a laptop?"

"Nope! But, I'll figure it out. Eventually. Or I'll just make Futaba fix it. She knows computers, so she'll probably know what to do." Akari shrugged again, sitting down on the bed, next to Morgana. 

"Well, it's good to see you so determined." Morgana said, smirking. "You're really taking being leader seriously."

"At this point, I kinda have to. We got the threat of Katsushika pressing charges looming over us, and we gotta get Mako up to speed on the finer aspects of being a Phantom Thief." Akari said, sighing. "Y'know, I can't wait to get more members. A dedicated navigator, a proper tactician, maybe someone with bigger guns for covering fire? You're great as navigator, but you have to do so many things right now besides it."

"To be honest, I like it." Morgana admitted. "It makes me feel useful."

"Don't beat yourself up. You're our healer right now. Sure, Shinji can heal too, but you do it better. And lightning's pretty potent, 'specially against half the stuff in Katsushika's Palace."

"I suppose you're right about that. Imagine if I had wind or something."

"I mean, I'm pretty sure wind's just as useful there too. Just remember that I trust you, Morgana. I know you're my friend, and you'll always be there for me. For us."

"I... I wonder what I was like as a human." Morgana said, sitting on Akari's lap.

"Probably just like what you are now." Akari petted Morgana. "People like you tend to be naturally good regardless of experiences."

"Really? How're you so sure?"

"My friends at Yasogami High were generally really good people, even if they had some... interesting stories to tell."

(Magician Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

5/18/18 (Friday)

In the middle of class, Akari got a text from Haruko.

HS: " _Hey, Akari. Meet me after school out behind Shujin. I'm feeling a lot better, and I want to try doing some training._ "

AS: " _When you say 'training', what're you thinkin' about?_ "

HS: " _Running laps around the school. I used to do it all the time back when my leg wasn't screwed up._ "

AS: " _Sure! :)_ "

HS: " _BTW, Shinji and Mako aren't coming. I already asked, and Shinji's got a shoot after school and Mako is going to go buy art supplies._ "

AS: " _Kinda guessed. Morgana's gonna be there too, so make sure to watch out for him._ "

Akari looked down to Morgana, who was napping underneath her desk.

HS: " _Got it! Meet you two there!_ "

* * *

Akari (now dressed up in some gym clothes) and Morgana walked out to meet up with Haruko.

"Do I really have to do this?" Morgana asked.

"It's good for you." Akari said. "You usually just laze around all day and eat food otherwise."

Haruko waved to them, running up. She was wearing a tracksuit, and her hair was tied up into a ponytail. "I'm glad you guys could make it."

"Sorry I'm a little late. Getting Morgana to come along was a bit of a pain." Akari said, glaring at the cat. Morgana glared right back at her.

"Well, let's get to running! We'll do... ten laps. I think that should be good to start with."

* * *

Everyone was exhausted by the time they had finished, especially Haruko.

"Oh god... I'm really out of shape." Haruko said, panting from exhaustion. "Even you're holding up better than me."

Mind you, Akari was collapsed on the ground with Morgana passed out next to her. "I'm literally on the floor right now." She weakly said.

"Fair point. It's just, my leg."

"How bad is it?" Akari asked.

"Not... as bad as I expected. Honestly, it's just... I miss running like I used to."

Before Akari could say anything, a couple of students came up to them.

"I thought I saw you running around, Shirogane-san!" One of them, a boy with (dyed) red hair, said. "How's it been?"

"Honda-san, I didn't expect to see you here." Haruko said. "Why are you so interested in me? You, and Kaji-san," She glanced at the other student, a girl with dark brown hair tied up into two pigtails. "Shunned me after I hit Kobayashi."

"That's in the past now." Kaji said. "We do have an ulterior motive, though. See, the track team's back."

"Really? I thought you guys would've just given up."

"We did." Honda said. "But after seeing Kobayashi suddenly confess to her crimes, we decided that we shouldn't just let it die. So, we decided to bring it back. It's currently just us, and Iida-kun."

"So... we were wondering..." Kaji trailed off. "Would you want to join us? Heck, we'll even let your friend join if she's up for it. I don't really trust her, but... I'll let it slide." 

" _You can just say you think I'm a criminal_." Akari grumbled.

Haruko sighed. "I... I'll think about it."

"Well, you know where to find us!" Kaji said, walking off with Honda.

Once those two left, Akari decided to speak up. "So, are you gonna take them up on the offer?"

"I... I don't know." Haruko admitted. "Wanna go get a bite to eat?"

"You're gonna avoid my question 'til the end of time, aren'tcha?"

"For a little while anyway." Haruko shrugged. "I just want time to think about it first."

"Well, just remember that I'll support you no matter what you do." Akari assured, standing up. "And by the way, I'm not joining the track team."

"Fair. Although, you could stand to exercise more."

Akari glared at her.

"I'm messing with you. A little."

(Lovers Arcana: Rank 4)

"Seriously, though, you're a bit flabby in couple places. You really could stand to lose a couple pounds."

"You're paying for our food."

* * *

Akari returned to Yongen-Jaya, wondering what to do. While most of the shops and such were open, nothing really felt like a good use of her time.

"What about that doctor?" Morgana suggested.

"Oshiro-san? I did look up where her clinic was, and she should still be open." Akari said, thinking over the idea of heading there. "We could get medicine, with a little sweet-talking and a whole lotta yen. Medicine should be more effective than snacks for healing in the Metaverse, right?"

"Yep! Of course, nothing compares to my healing abilities, but it's always good to have backup options."

Akari rolled her eyes. "I guess that settles it. Let's head to Oshiro's clinic!"

* * *

The clinic itself wasn't anything special. It was about the same as any other clinic in the universe.

Akari walked up to the desk, where Ichiko Oshiro was sitting. "Um, hi."

"You're the kid I saw at Salinger." Ichiko said. "What do you want?"

"I- uh- need something to help keep my energy up?" Akari said, desperately hoping Ichiko would buy it. "For college entrance exams?"

Ichiko observed Akari for several seconds. "Never expected you would be the type to be so academically inclined." She remarked.

"I'm not. That's why I need the... medicine or whatever." Akari waved her hand around vaguely, hoping Ichiko would understand.

"Listen, I'm not going to just sell you drugs. I've heard the rumors, and I'd rather not support a junkie's habits."

Akari growled, annoyed with her arrest being brought up yet again.

"So, I'm going to strike you a deal." Ichiko said, causing Akari to calm down. "Let's just say that I could use a guinea pig for some more... _experimental_ concoctions. Everything is safe... ish."

"And in return I can buy some medicine?" Akari asked.

Ichiko nodded. "Precisely. You can return in the future for your first clinical trial. It's rather late, and I'd rather not have to drag you back to Chief just because I made a minor mistake and you passed out for an hour."

Akari started to reconsider the arrangement, before deciding she really didn't have much choice in regards to medicine. "Got it. I'll see you next time I've got free time."

(Death Arcana: Rank 2)

* * *

5/19/18 (Saturday)

HS: "Meet up on the roof after school."

MF: "Whatcha thinkin'?"

HS: "You know what it's about. No, I'm not saying to do anything about Katsushika, if you had that idea."

Once school let out, they met up on the roof.

"So, what were you thinkin'?" Akari asked.

"Mako needs training." Haruko stated. "We had a much easier Palace ahead of us, and we were all really tough on the physical end. Mako's not that."

"I concur with Haruko." Morgana said. "Mako could definitely use some training. Are we heading into Mementos?"

"That's something else I was wanting to suggest. What if only part of the team went into Mementos?" Haruko suggested. "Like, just me, Morgana, and Mako."

"I'm cool with it." Akari said. "As long as we all agree on the target regardless. Efficiency ain't changin' our code."

"Got it." Haruko smiled, turning to Mako. "So, you in? I've actually got a target. An ass wipe named Katsuki Uchiro. He's been scamming middle schoolers into sending him nude photos."

There was an instant consensus to take him down.

"Alright, we'll head out soon." Haruko said. "Mako, you've got your gear, right?"

Mako pulled a model machine pistol and a sheathed katana out of her bag.

"Looks like we've got some Shadows to hunt." 

The three headed off, leaving Akari and Shinji on their own.

"So, wanna hang out?" Akari asked, after several moments of awkward silence.

Shinji shrugged. "Sure thing."

* * *

They ended up heading to Shibuya, trying to figure out something to do.

"We... could..." Akari slowly spoke, trying to think. 

"Go... to... the..." Shinji was doing the same, just as uncertain.

"Arcade?" They both suggested.

"Works with me." Shinji said.

So, they ended up going to the arcade. 

"I'm kinda sorta a pro at one game." Akari said.

"If you're talking about Ultimax, you most certainly are not." Yui Watanabe chimed in, standing right next to her. Akari yelped, clinging onto Shinji. Yui giggled. "Sorry for the scare."

"Oh, hi Yui." Akari said. "Shinji, this is Yui Watanabe."

Shinji waved. "Yo."

"Yui, this is Shinji Taro."

Yui smiled. "I've heard... interesting rumors about you."

Shinji groaned. He really didn't want that brought up.

"I really don't care, and I don't put much stock in them."

"Oh. You're cooler than I thought." Shinji said.

Yui shrugged. "So're you."

"So, Yui. I've been lookin' up some stuff on Ultimax." Akari said, smirking.

"You think that'll be enough to beat me?" She melodramatically questioned. "Foolish fool! I shall use my full power this time, and completely destroy you down to your last atoms!"

Shinji sighed. What did he get himself into?

(Empress Arcana: Rank 2)

(Moon Arcana: Rank 4)

* * *

AS: " _How'd the mission go?_ "

HS: " _We beat the asshole and changed his heart._ "

MF: " _And we got a whole buttload of yen out of it!_ "

HS: " _Morgana's heading to Salinger right now. Given his track record, I think we can trust him to get there._ "

AS: " _See you guys tomorrow! :)_ "

Akari put her phone away right as her train came to her stop. She headed out into Yongen-Jaya, and came into Salinger.

"Akari-chan, I've been waiting for you." Gin said, before tossing something to Akari.

It was a key.

"I trust you won't go wandering off too far at night?"

Akari realized what he meant, and practically sprinted over to hug him. "Thank you..."

"I should be thanking you." Gin said, reciprocating the hug. "You've been nothing but good, and if I'm being completely honest, Salinger's never done any better than after you came here."

(Hierophant Arcana: Rank 4)

"Now then, you should probably get to bed."

* * *

5/20/18 (Sunday)

"So, boss, what's on the agenda today?" Morgana asked as he and Akari walked down the street outside Salinger.

"Drugs!" Akari declared, a little too loudly. "Err... helping Oshiro-san with her stuff so she'll let us buy stuff from her."

"Then? Any other plans?"

Akari shrugged. "We'll burn that bridge when we get there."

"I'm pretty sure it's _cross_ that bridge, not burn it." Morgana pointed out.

* * *

"Is there any particular reason that cat followed you in?" Ichiko asked, pointing at Morgana. She, Akari, and the cat were in the clinic's back room, Akari sitting on a small bench.

"He doesn't like it when I leave him home." Akari answered. "He's a clingy boy."

"I am _not_ clingy!" Morgana indignantly retorted.

"And a loud one. Thankfully, we're not going to be doing anything he could contaminate." Ichiko said. "Today, I'm going to give you a check-up so I can have a baseline to compare against for future note." 

* * *

After some basic questions and the like, it was all over.

"Give it to me straight, doc'. How long do I got?" Akari asked, doing her best impression of some middle-aged action movie hero.

"You're a fairly healthy girl of your age." Ichiko answered, not even bothering to play along with Akari's joke. "You could stand to lose a couple pounds, but nothing to worry about. Do you play any sports?"

Akari shook her head. "I was in the drama club last year."

"Well, I believe that puts an end to our conversation. Next time, we can get down to business."

(Death Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

Akari pulled her phone as she stepped out of the clinic, looking through her contacts list to try and figure what to do with the rest of her day.

Eventually, she bit the bullet and did something she was anxious about doing.

AS: " _Hey, wanna hang out?_ "

Hang out with Mako. Akari crossed her fingers, hoping Mako wouldn't see the text.

MF: " _Sure! I'm over at the Inokashira Park!_ "

AS: " _I'll be there! :)_ "

* * *

Akari found Mako on hill overlooking a lake, holding a sketchbook and pencil.

"So, uh..." Akari sat down next to Mako, trying to think of a way to break the ice. "Hi."

"Hi, Akari." Mako said, focused on her sketchbook. She was making a sketch of the lake, albeit with various fantastical creatures in the waters. "And... done!"

Akari leaned over to take a look. "That's... really good."

"You think? I've been playing around with some ideas and nothing's really... sticking out." Mako frowned, flipping over to another page. "Do you mind modelling for me?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" Akari said, feeling awkward. "So, what do you want me to do? Strike a pose?"

"Just sit where you are and don't move too much."

Akari pouted, crossing her arms.

"And smile, please." Mako added, annoyed.

* * *

"Done!" Mako declared. Akari leaned over to look, gasping.

It was a drawing of her as Ace (even if the finer details on the outfit were off). that wasn't why Akari was gasping. Mako had drawn her as possibly the most attractive woman in the universe.

"Woah... this is amazing!" Akari complimented. "I don't know what else to say."

"You think so?" Mako asked, surprised. "It's not bad, sure, but it's not really all that great."

"Are you kidding? This is, like, ten million times better than anything I could ever do! And you did it in like twenty minutes." 

"Huh. I guess you're right. And it was fourteen minutes." Mako corrected with a smile. "For everything Katsushika did, he still taught me a lot."

"Still don't excuse his actions." Akari said, looking up at the sky. It was overcast today, and looked like it might rain.

"Yeah, I know. We're gonna stop him, if only for the sake of everyone else who died 'cuz of him. Hey, did you ever have someone like him in your life?"

Akari shook her head. "Thankfully, no. I had an acting coach back last year, but she was super nice and kind and... basically everything Katsushika was pretending to be."

After that, they sat there in silence. They really had nothing to say.

(Emperor Arcana: Rank 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 3
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 4
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 4
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 3
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 2
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2


	15. A Woman

5/23/18 (Wednesday)

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts returned to Katsushika's Palace, dead set on finding the Treasure.

"So, we're s'posed to wander around the Palace until we find a shimmery thingy?" Mako asked, trying to make sure she understood all this weirdness. 

"Pretty much." Shinji shrugged. "But, we gotta figure out your codename first. Can't go 'round screamin' your name in somebody's subconscious."

"How about Ninja?" Akari instantly suggested.

"That's boring." Mako said. "Like Knight. That's boring."

"I like my codename." Haruko muttered, seemingly hurt by Mako's words. 

"And it's boring."

"Then what do you think?" Morgana asked.

Mako put her hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm... how 'bout Ghost?"

"That actually sounds pretty cool!" Akari complimented. "Right, so I have a rough idea of where it is. The Treasure would obviously be on the very top of the building, since that'd be the hardest place to get to."

"Nice deduction, Ace." Morgana said. "You're really settling into the role of leader."

Akari shrugged. "If I had a Treasure, that's where I'd put it. Let's get movin'!"

* * *

The team got back to where they left off before (the gate still open), and found themselves in a corridor filled with portraits of Katsushika.

"Jeez, this is creepy." Mako remarked, passing by a portrait of her mother that stuck out like a sore thumb. "Was your Palace this bad?"

"Honestly, worse." Shinji said. "At least he's not a pedophile."

"Technically speaking, the term is ephebophile. Doesn't make it _any_ better, but it _is_ a different word." Haruko informed, seeing the hundredth portrait of Katsushika. "Can he get any more egotistical?"

"Probably." Morgana muttered, looking around. At the end of the hall was a large iron door, which was obviously sealed shut. He didn't need to check, but Akari ended up doing it for him anyway.

She pushed the door, tried pulling on it, and then tried kicking it open. Akari grabbed her foot in pain. "Ow, ow, ow! This door's sealed pretty tight! I don't think we're going to break through it."

Shinji tried punching it, and promptly hurt his hand in the process.

Morgana and Haruko both sighed. "Idiots."

"So, how're we gonna get past this?" Mako asked. "Do we turn around and look elsewhere?"

Akari looked back down the hall. "Usually there's some sorta trick to opening these kinda things." She said. "Did anyone see anything that looked different?"

Mako instantly spun around and ran back down the hall to the one portrait of her mother. She drew her sword, pushing the portrait to the side with it and revealing a button behind it. She pressed it, and the door opened without any trouble.

"That was disappointingly easy." Haruko remarked. "I guarantee you he hides a key underneath the doormat."

"Under one of those key rock things, actually. Which is right next to the door." Mako said. "So, basically the same thing." 

"I'm surprised that a burglar didn't expose him years before us." Morgana remarked. "Let's keep moving forward."

* * *

After the corridor was a room full of lasers set up at a variety of angles. While they probably weren't the deadly kind, having alarms go off wouldn't be ideal for a sneaking mission.

"Don't worry, guys. I got this." Akari boasted, before diving in between a pair of lasers. She managed to maneuver her way through the lasers like a true Phantom Thief, jumping over a set and landing in front of the door to the other side of the room (where the switch to turn off the lasers was).

And then the floor tile she was standing on sunk a little, letting out a small click. Iron bars covered both doors, trapping the team inside before the ceiling opened up to reveal a large Shadow. It took the form of a giant spider, with flowing dark green hair on its head and a woman's face.

The others moved in, Haruko firing a couple quick shots with her pistol to keep the Spider Woman at bay while she joined Akari's side. Akari rushed in, running up the wall and slashing at the Spider Woman's leg. The Shadow fell to the ground, giving Shinji a shot to punch it full force.

The Spider Woman burst into flame, forcing Shinji to get back before he could follow up. And the monster stayed on fire, making it hard to approach it. Akari drew her revolver, firing a few shots. The bullets melted in the air, turning to vapor. 

"Great." Haruko grumbled. She tore off her mask, summoning Mordred. "I'll take care of getting rid of the flames. You guys just focus on damage when the fire's down." 

Akari gave her a thumbs up, gripping her knife. A blast of icy wind hit the Spider Woman, cooling its flames down for a moment. Mako ended up being the first one to act, rushing past the Shadow. She skidded to a stop behind it with her sword drawn, quickly sheathing it. One of the Spider Woman's legs was severed, spraying black blood from the stump.

The Spider Woman burst into flame once again, cauterizing its wound. It shot a bunch of eggs out of its rear, which quickly hatched into a swarm of flaming spiders. Shinji summoned Hercules, willing it to unleash a barrage of punches upon the swarm. It didn't really do much, as every dead spider was quickly replaced by another two.

Morgana struck the swarm with several lightning bolts, keeping them at bay while Haruko cast another ice spell to lower the Spider Woman's guard. Akari made her move, summoning Jack Frost to blast the Spider Woman with more ice as she lunged for a slash. Jack Frost froze the Spider Woman's face, and Akari shattered it with one hard strike.

Even without a face, the Shadow was somehow still alive and charged up a fireball. 

Shinji and Mako were the first to make a move, Mako sending wind into the fireball to give it more fuel. The fireball grew dangerously large, and Shinji summoned Hercules to punch it down the Spider Woman's throat. The Spider Woman exploded, fading away into nothing.

The bars blocking the doors retracted, allowing the team to move forward.

"I do not want to know what that thing was supposed to represent." Haruko remarked, as they left the room to keep moving onward. 

"I mean, it had green hair." Morgana pointed out. "I think the list of people who it could represent is pretty small."

Everyone looked at Mako, who was obliviously skipping along. "What?" She asked.

"Your mentor probably thinks of you as a giant spider monster that sets itself on fire." Akari flatly said. "Or he thinks of your mom that way." 

Mako shrugged. "I mean, giant fire spider is kinda cool."

Akari facepalmed. "That was _so_ not the point." She muttered.

* * *

Past the spider was more hallways, which sloped upward to lead further up into the museum. 

"Hey, Morgana." Haruko said. "How much further until we reach the Treasure?"

Morgana closed his eyes, trying to focus on the Treasure. "Not very far. Maybe one more room and then it's the Treasure room."

"Really? We're almost done?" Akari questioned, sounding disappointed.

"Why're you sad?" Shinji asked.

"I was expecting... more. This was the thing I was looking forward to all week, and we're almost done." 

"Wait, you look forward to this stuff?" Haruko asked.

"Well, yeah. I don't have anything to do besides hang out with you guys and do Phantom Thief stuff." Akari said. 

"Let's just finish the job." Morgana said, pushing open a door at the end of the hall.

The team came face to face with a bizarre void, with what little terrain there is resembling a traditional Japanese painting.

"This is not supposed to be here." Morgana flatly stated.

"I can tell." Haruko remarked, looking around. There weren't even any Shadows in there. Just a small hill in the distance and some rivers. She tried sticking her hand into the water out of curiosity, only to hit a solid object. "He couldn't even spring for actual magic water?"

They walked on ahead towards the hill, finding a large canvas sitting on it.

Shinji tried looking behind the canvas, finding nothing, before punching it full-force. It didn't budge. "Well, I ain't bustin' through this thing."

"I mean, you probably shouldn't be punching through canvases." Mako remarked. "Kinda wasteful."

"That does raise the question: How do we proceed?" Haruko wondered.

"Mona, do Palaces have to be a complete path to the Treasure?" Akari asked. "Or could this be impossible to move past?"

"All Palaces have to have a path to the Treasure. Otherwise, it would be the same as locking away their desires." Morgana explained. "If one can't make a path to the Treasure, then the Shadow wouldn't be able to get in and tap into those desires. This doesn't feel like a cognition we can break."

"So it's a puzzle." Haruko said. "That at least confirms that a solution exists. Perhaps we need to paint something on it? Ghost-"

"I didn't bring any of my supplies." Mako informed. "Also, this thing doesn't actually have any pockets, so..."

"Mine does!" Akari said.

"Good for you..." Mako grumbled, before hearing footsteps. It was a Shadow.

"Hey, could you use that thing's blood as paint?" Shinji asked.

Mako put a hand to her chin in thought, as the Shadow morphed into one of the blacksmiths that she'd fought when she awakened to her Persona. He rushed to strike her, only to hit nothing as Mako leapt over the attack and landed behind him. She drew her blade, slicing the blacksmith apart and spraying blood all over the canvas.

It all seeped in, turning into the image of a door. Akari kicked it open, revealing a staircase that led further up.

* * *

They found a Safe Room along the way, right before the Treasure room. In this case, the shimmering ball of nothing was floating on display in the middle of a room, guarded by lasers (these ones were definitely of the deadly kind) and Shadows. Up above was a series of catwalks that led to a stained glass window near the roof, and what looked to be a little crane-type device on the ceiling.

"So, is that it for now?" Mako asked, sitting in the Safe Room with the other Phantom Thieves. "We found a way to the Treasure, right?"

Akari put a hand to her chin in thought, gears turning in her head. "We found a way to the Treasure room, but not the actual Treasure. How about... Mona and I'll go head out and take a quick poke around to see if we can figure out how we're gonna get at the stupid thing."

"If you two aren't back in fifteen minutes, we'll come out and tear this place apart to find you guys." Haruko stated, leaving no room for argument. It was a statement of fact and nothing more.

"Got it." Morgana said.

The duo of Akari and Morgana headed out, sneaking around a side path that led upward. "So, Mona, what's your opinion of these Palace runs n' all?" Akari asked, as they waited for a Shadow to turn around. The Shadows very rarely responded to people talking, only really picking up on loud footsteps. "I kinda feel bad dragging you along without even asking you if liked doin' 'em."

Morgana moved in as the Shadow turned, tearing off its mask. It was just one Jack Frost, which quickly got a Zio and Eiga blast that dispatched it in short order. While they moved onward, Morgana gave his answer.

"I guess... I'm neutral on them?" He said. "I don't really care about them besides finding a way to get my memories back."

"Huh. I suppose that makes sense. I just like being able to hang out with my entire friend group and beat the crap outta some freaky demons." Akari said, as they reached the end of the path. It was a security room, with screens showing the camera feeds and a set of switches on the wall. There was also a ladder leading up to the catwalks.

"These switches... 'Power Shutoff for Five Seconds', 'Camera Shutoff', 'Crane Operation'?" Morgana read aloud. "I think we have our route secured."

Akari smiled. The duo quickly rejoined the others, and they all headed out of the Palace.

* * *

"So, when are we going to send out the calling card?" Haruko asked, as the team walked away from the atelier. "I'd say sooner is better than later, but..."

"Do ya think we're ready?" Shinji asked.

Akari shrugged. "I'd say we're pretty well-prepared. We'll take a couple days off to rest and for me to gather supplies, and then I'll contact you guys. Mako, I assume you'll be handlin' the calling card?"

"Sure! Any requests?" Mako said.

"Haruko did the last one, so she'll help you out in getting that vibe down."

"I guess we'll do it at my place?" Haruko suggested. "My mom won't sell us out, we got plenty of snacks, and I have some old art supplies you can borrow from when I tried to take up painting."

"You tried painting?" Shinji questioned.

"A little after Kobayashi broke my leg. My mom suggested it as a way to try and spend some excess energy." Haruko shrugged. "So, meeting adjourned?"

"Meeting adjourned!" Akari cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 3
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 4
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 4
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 3
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 2
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 1
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2


	16. Endless Days

5/24/18 (Thursday)

Akari hopped out of bed with purpose, ready to take on the day. Or at least, that's what she would have loved to say. Instead, she got out of bed vaguely sore and groggy. Sure, exiting the Metaverse healed one's injuries (to a certain extent, anyway, if Haruko's broken leg and a few faded scars from Akari doing stupid things as a kid sticking around were any indication), but it didn't do much for the strain fighting there had on her.

"You seem... out of it." Gin told her, as she sat down and ate some curry.

Akari just shrugged. "Haruko dragged me out on another run." She lied. "She's like a drill sergeant sometimes."

"Well, make sure you stay hydrated?" Gin offered. "I don't really have much experience with physical fitness. I do my exercises before bed and that's it."

Akari chuckled. "Guess that makes two of us. So, what clubs were you in back when you were my age?"

Gin stared at her, surprised. "I never thought I'd hear that kind of question out of you. What prompted it?"

"Well, I got asked if I wanted to join the track team. Or, Haruko got asked and I was allowed to be brought in if we were a package deal." Akari explained. "And I was kind of wonderin' about joining Shujin's drama club."

"I was in the art club." Gin said. Akari stared at him. "I know it's not what you'd think from this old man, but I did have quite the creative eye back in the day." 

"Y'know... that doesn't actually surprise me too much." Akari said. "I mean, you don't seem like the kinda guy who can afford to hire an interior designer for this place. That takes a little artistic talent to make something as good as this."

Gin smiled. "You flatter me, Akari-chan."

(Hierophant Arcana: Rank 4)

* * *

"So, Akari, what's the plan for today?" Morgana asked, sitting Akari's bag as they rode the train to Shujin.

Akari shrugged. "I guess we just hang out? We're not going to Mementos until we finish up with the main job, if that's what you're asking."

"Got it."

* * *

Akari's phone went off during class, buzzing in her pocket.

ST: " _Are you gonna head down to Indestructible today?_ "

AS: " _Wasn't originally planning on it. You need new gear?_ "

ST: " _I wasn't hitting as hard as I like back in there._ "

HS: " _I could go with upgrades myself. We can all head out together and hang out? Just three of us? Plus Morgana if you brought him._ "

AS: " _Sure! Although, Shinji, why're you texting me? I'm literally a meter away from you._ "

She looked at Shinji, who just gave her a sheepish smile.

* * *

The trio headed down to Indestructible after school let out.

"Good afternoon, Watanabe-san." Haruko said.

"Hey." Watanabe said. "Are you here to buy something?"

"Yep!" Akari answered. "By the way, what's your pet policy?"

Watanabe sighed. "As long as it doesn't shed anywhere, I don't give a damn about your pet."

Morgana's head popped out of Akari's bag. "Right, so, as I explained on the trip, you want weapons that look nastier. Our weapons are all based on cognitions, so if it looks more powerful, it's more powerful."

"God, that cat is loud." Watanabe said. "So, what do you kids want exactly?"

"It's a little difficult to describe." Haruko said, holding up her phone. She had a couple pictures of their current gear on display. "We're looking for stuff that looks more dangerous than these. Without actually being more dangerous, of course."

Watanabe stared at her. "What exactly do you kids plan on doing with them?"

"We're LARPers." Akari lied. "We've been getting some complaints from our other friends that our gear isn't 'cool looking' enough."

"Never thought my favorite customer would get sucked into _that_ crowd." Watanabe remarked. "I'll see what I've got in stock."

Watanabe walked into the back room, checking his stock.

"So, how'd you even find this place?" Shinji asked, talking to Haruko. "Another thing you tried doing after your leg was broken?"

Haruko shrugged. "Honestly, I just sort of found this place while going out with my mom back in my first year. Ever since, I had a little hobby of collecting model guns. I ended up selling most of them after Kobayashi pulled her bullshit, aside from the one I use nowadays."

Before the conversation could continue, a large man wearing a suit burst into the store. He definitely wasn't a cop or anything of the sort, which meant he was... Akari shut that thought down before she could finish it. If this guy was yakuza, then she'll just have to figure out to stop him from doing something nasty peacefully (the yakuza was on Akari's hit list, but not right now and not in the real world).

"Where's Hanzo Sato?" He asked.

Now Akari was just confused. "I, uh, don't know any Satos. Are you sure you've got the right place?"

He stared into her eyes, which showed no emotion beyond confusion. The man turned around, walking out the door.

Akari let out a breath of relief she didn't even know she was holding in. That was too close. Even without seeing it, she could tell he was armed. Maybe it was just a knife, maybe it was a gun, but he definitely had something.

"Did you have to basically throw yourself at the yakuza guy?" Haruko questioned.

Akari shrugged. "Probably not. But I resolved it without being killed, so I guess... I did the right thing?"

"Here's the stuff you kids were asking for." Watanabe stated, setting a model knife, greatsword, and a pair of gauntlets on the counter.

"Thank you, Watanabe-san." Haruko said, handing him the money. "Do you know any Hanzo Satos, by the way?"

Watanabe didn't say anything for a moment. "How do you know that name?"

"A man came in while you were in the back asking for him." Haruko explained. "I'm fairly certain he was yakuza."

"Just go. You kids shouldn't come around here again if you know what's good for you. Don't get yourself involved in this old man's shit." He stated.

The trio nodded in understanding, taking the gear and leaving.

(Hanged Man Arcana: Rank 2)

(Lovers Arcana: Rank 5)

(Moon Arcana: Rank 5)

Haruko sighed in annoyance. "How am I going to get this home without our neighbors thinking I'm a lunatic?" She wondered, as they walked down the alley. Akari stopped, passing by a blue door. And Justine was standing next to it. 

"Good afternoon, inmate." Justine said. That was the point where Haruko and Shinji stopped walking, noticing her presence. And Morgana popped out of Akari's bag, staring at the Velvet Room attendant.

"Hi." Akari said, surprised.

"Akari, who is this?" Haruko asked. "And why is she calling you an 'inmate'?"

Akari sighed. "Long story. Short version: she, her sister, and their boss tell me stuff about Personas occasionally. Usually when I'm asleep."

Morgana stared at Justine. "You look sorta familiar." He said.

"So do you." Justine said. "But, I can't place why."

"How long were you plannin' on keeping this stuff from us, Akari?" Shinji asked.

"I would have told you guys sooner, but I'm never thinking about doing it at a good time. Either I just woke up or we were on a Palace run." Akari explained. "So, uh, I can also come into the Velvet Room through here, right?"

Justine nodded. "Yes. Your friends cannot, however."

"And I'm guessing you want me to come in right now?"

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind."

Akari sighed. "Fine. You guys mind heading on home without me? This is probably gonna take a bit and I don't want you guys waiting in a shady alley while I go talk to Mister Rehabilitation and his child assistants."

And then she walked through the door.

* * *

She found herself in the Velvet Room, dressed in the usual prisoner uniform and chains. "Y'know, it'd be great if I didn't have to wear these stupid things." She grumbled.

"Quiet, inmate! Consider yourself lucky we don't bind you further!" Caroline said, striking the bars with her baton.

"Kinky. So, what do you want? I notice Igor's a little... absent." Akari noted. Igor's desk was missing the long-nosed man, as she said. "Is this just a social call, or business?"

"We have decided to start testing you." Justine explained.

"Basically, we want you to find Personas with specific skills attached to them." Caroline said, grabbing a binder out of a cell next to Akari's. She realized that was Caroline's 'room', if not also Justine's. "Let's see... aha! Your first mission is to find a Jack Frost with Mabufu."

Akari was about to ask what Mabufu was when she felt a flash of information. "Mabufu is a multi-target Ice spell, right?" She asked, just to confirm. "And I already have a Jack Frost that can do that stuff!"

"Hmph. So you do. While I am... pleased, with your progress, that's still only one Persona." Caroline said. Akari snorted at Caroline's attempts to not sound proud of her little inmate. "This list has ten in total, each rarer and more powerful than the last."

"It is good to see you're taking your rehabilitation seriously." Justine said, giving a kind smile.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Strength Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

"For your next assignment, find a Medusa with Poison Breath." Caroline ordered. "And before you make some joke about grabbing one now, there are none in any available level of Mementos or in that insufferable monster Katsushika's Palace."

Akari stared at her, surprised. "You know that?"

"We know more about Personas than you think." Justine said. "We ourselves are Persona users. And very powerful ones at that. If you wish to test your limits, just ask us."

"Yeah, but be ready to get your ass kicked!" Caroline added.

"Just send me out." Akari said.

* * *

??/??/18

"Even if your stories in regards to these 'Personas' are true, you must be having help in regards to acquiring them." Eikichi surmised. "Who is helping you gain extra Personas?"

"Are you going to try arresting a pair of twelve year olds who may or may not even be human?" Akari asked.

Eikichi stared at her.

* * *

5/25/18 (Friday)

The next day, Akari headed out of school with purpose.

And that purpose was to buy drugs.

She went to Ichiko's clinic, where she found the doctor sitting at the desk (clearly bored out of her mind).

"Um, good afternoon, Oshiro-san." Akari said, pulling the doctor out of her thoughts. "I'd like to, uh," She leaned in close to whisper. "Buy some medicine."

Ichiko chuckled. "We're not quite there yet. That said, do a quick test of a concoction I'm working on, and I'll let you buy some of my stuff. They're all safe and non-addictive, so don't worry _too_ much."

"The fact you have to add 'too much' to the end of that sentence concerns me." Akari flatly stated. Ichiko just smiled, opening the door to the back room.

Akari sat down on the bench, setting her bag down next to it. Morgana popped his head out of it, looking around.

Ichiko walked in with a small cup of clear liquid in her hand, noting Morgana's presence. "You brought your cat."

"That's fine, right? He doesn't like being separated from me." Akari said. Morgana grumbled something under his breath in retort. "And I like having someone I completely trust on hand in case something bad happens."

"Just make sure he stays in the bag." Ichiko said, before handing the cup to Akari. "Drink it."

Akari stared into the liquid's surface. "What's this supposed to do?"

"It's an stamina booster." Ichiko explained. "Ideally, it would help the body use calories more efficiently and mean that the energy you take in wouldn't go to waste. The effects should kick in about five minutes after ingestion if I put everything together correctly."

Akari shrugged, understanding what Ichiko was saying (even if she had no clue how this drug actually worked). She immediately starting drinking it, only to gag and spit the substance out the instant it touched her tongue. "This stuff's bitter!" She complained.

Ichiko took what was left in the cup and sipped it. And the promptly spat it out. "Ugh, you're right. The taste is almost toxic. You can go for now, Suzuki-san. I need to tweak the concoction some more to reduce the extreme taste." She basically shoved Akari out of the room, only giving her a moment to grab her bag before locking her out.

(Death Arcana: Rank 3)

"She's a very weird person." Akari remarked.

"So're you." Morgana pointed out. "How many other girls are going around inside the Metaverse changing people's hearts?"

"Two?"

"Fair enough."

* * *

5/26/18 (Saturday)

Akari and the rest of the Phantom Thieves gathered on the roof after school let out.

"So, you guys have the Calling Card ready?" Akari asked.

"Yes. We finished it while you were busy after school yesterday." Haruko answered. "The only question is how we're going to make Katsushika see it."

Morgana chuckled. "Leave that to me. Just get me to the art gallery, and I'll make sure Katsushika burns it into his very soul."

"I can handle that part!" Mako said. "While he doesn't want me near his house, he can't stop me from showing up to the art gallery for long enough to let Morgana do his thing."

"So, we're doin' this?" Shinji asked. "Tomorrow, we're takin' that asshole down?"

Akari nodded. "Sunday makes the most sense, since it won't be as suspicious if we're all out together there and take a while to come back home."

"Got it. Anything else we should know?"

"Could you bring some snacks? We'll need every bit of healing we can get during the inevitable fight. Meeting adjourned!"

* * *

5/27/18 (Sunday)

The next morning, Katsushika came to the art gallery to find an intern holding a red and black card with the image of a top hat donning a burning mask on the back.

"Sir, we found this outside. We thought you'd want to be aware of it." He told Katsushika, handing it over.

Katsushika read it aloud. "'Sinful Demon of Envy, you have destroyed the lives of almost one hundred artists and stole their works. So, in return, we, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, will take your heart as reparation for what you have done. You will confess to every crime you've ever done with your own mouth. Signed, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'"

Outwardly, Katsushika seemed to take this quite calmly. "Make sure no one else hears of this. We are not stopping this showing no matter what."

_Inwardly was different. Shadow Katsushika cackled. "Please, if those Phantom Thieves want to steal my heart, then I dare them to! They'll never break my security!"_

Morgana and Mako smirked, having watched everything play out from a safe distance. She pulled out her phone, sending out a message to the rest of the team.

MF: " _He saw it._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 4
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 3
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 5
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 5
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 4
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 3
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Strength, Justine and Caroline: Rank 1


	17. Blooming Villain

5/27/18 (Sunday)

The calling card was out. It was time to finally steal Katsushika's heart. Everyone gathered in the Palace (the Safe Room by the Treasure, to be specific), ready to take this asshole down.

"So, what's the plan?" Haruko asked. "With that laser grid thing around the Treasure, we can't even touch it, let alone steal it."

Akari smiled. "Already figured it out."

* * *

Morgana, Haruko, and Akari headed up to the catwalks over the Treasure (now surrounded by even more guards), noting that it took the form of a painting on an easel. It was currently covered, preventing them from seeing what the painting was. Morgana jumped up to the little crane, ready to snatch the Treasure.

In the control room, Mako and Shinji pulled a pair of levers. The entire Palace went dark, and there was a sound of the crane's winch operating. When the lights came back on, Morgana was already back up on the catwalks with the Treasure tied to his back. 

"Blaze, Ghost, we've got the Treasure!" Haruko called, shooting the stained glass window with her pistol before running across the catwalks to jump through it. Mako and Shinji leapt up the ladder to the catwalks, following Haruko alongside Morgana and Akari. The Thieves jumped out the window, climbing down the building while the Shadows inside were still busy trying to figure out what just happened.

* * *

They ended up in the garden where the gate that forced them to leave the Palace the first time around was. They didn't hear any guards coming to their location, so they decided to take a minor breather. 

Mostly because Morgana wanted to see what the Treasure was exactly. He untied it from his back, throwing the cloth that covered it away.

Mako gasped. She wasn't shocked by the painting itself, but the fact that it was the true form of the painting. "That's-"

"The Sayuri." Shadow Katsushika stated, walking up from behind them. "It's true form."

The true Sayuri didn't have a purple haze enshrouding the bottom half of it, allowing them to see what the woman in the painting was looking at.

A baby girl with dark green hair.

"That's Mako, isn't it?" Morgana said. "And that woman is her mother."

"You didn't even paint the Sayuri, didn't you?" Mako said. "The Sayuri's true creator is my mother, isn't it?!"

"You catch on quickly. Yes, the one who actually painted the Sayuri was Eri Fujinara. It was the most beautiful painting I've ever seen, made to commemorate her daughter's birth. Nothing I've ever created could hope to compare to it. But, she was a fool. She had shown it to me before anyone else." Shadow Katsushika explained. "And she had a seizure while talking about it. I could have called an ambulance immediately, and perhaps she could have survived, but why would I? I could simply let her die and take the Sayuri. I became the most famous artist Japan has ever seen!"

Mako tore off her mask, summoning Nobunaga. " _You're a monster_." She hissed, drawing her sword and leveling it at Shadow Katsushika. "Did you even stop to think what that would do to her daughter, or her husband? Did you ever think about all of your students, the ones you ruined the lives of?"

"Do you give thought to every bug you squash on the road?" Shadow Katsushika retorted, before melting into a black sludge. He reformed into four levitating portraits. Two had bulging eyes, bloodshot with murderous intent. One had a grotesque nose, sniffling constantly. And the last had a mouth with a large tongue lolling around, splashing drool everywhere. "I'm going to destroy you thieves here and now!"

"Not a chance!" Akari declared, drawing her revolver and firing a shot at the Left Eye. It turned to focus on her, causing her to dart to the side and start running. "Everyone, split its attention! Whoever's left over, work on taking out whatever part of him's open!"

Haruko rushed in, leaping at the Mouth and slashing its tongue with her sword. Shinji summoned Hercules, shooting a fireball at the Nose to draw its attention. And Mako took care of getting the Right Eye distracted by running in and cutting it with her katana. Morgana stayed behind, El Coyote at the ready to cast a spell to back the others up.

Akari flipped over a laser beam from the Left Eye, summoning Jack Frost in the air and casting an ice spell (Mabufu, some small part of her mind reminded her) to hit all four parts of Shadow Katsushika. Akari noted that ice didn't do much damage to the Right Eye and Nose, but seemed to do fine on the other parts. She sidestepped another laser beam, switching to Caulfield and blasting the Left Eye with darkness.

It didn't do much, to Akari's growing annoyance. She kept moving, dodging more lasers from the Left Eye as she mentally searched her Personas for something to use. Pixie was more of a healer, Kelpie was weak, and that Treasure Demon couldn't fight. She stuck with Jack Frost, hoping that its higher defenses and ice element would be worth reducing her strength and speed.

Haruko, on the other hand, was reveling in the chaos of battle. She twirled around to dodge a tongue slam, using her momentum to bring her weapon overhead and bring it down upon the appendage. The Mouth barely managed to pull its tongue out of the way, before belching.

Within an instant, the armor-clad girl was overwhelmed with nausea. Shadow Katsushika's breath stank, and that was putting it lightly. It was like if you took the most disgusting stench you've ever experienced, multiplied it by one hundred, stuck the resulting odor in a closet until it fermented, ate it, puked it out, ate it again, and then shat the resulting abomination out. And that would only be half as bad as what Haruko was being subjected to. 

The Mouth unhinged its jaw, getting ready to bite down on Haruko's head while she was distracted.

"Knight!" Shinji called, jumping up and springing off the Nose to close the distance and punch the Mouth away from Haruko.

"Ugh," Haruko retched, the rest of her senses returning to her. "Thanks for the save."

"No probs." Shinji said, as the Nose breathed in for an attack. "Though you should prolly-"

Haruko pulled him out of the path of a blast of wind, right before it would hit him. "You're welcome." She said. "Now, let's take care of our targets."

Mako dodged a beam of lightning from the Right Eye, pulling out her machine pistol and peppering it with gunfire. She holstered it just as another blast of lightning came her way, jumping over it just in time. According to Morgana, Nobunaga was weak to lightning, so she definitely didn't want to find out what getting hit by one of the Right Eye's attacks felt like.

She twisted her body in the air to avoid a third bolt of lightning, summoning Nobunaga and ordering it to unleash a tornado to distract the Right Eye. The hit didn't do much damage, but it did its job well enough to let Mako close the distance. Once she got close enough, she drew her sword and slashed it several times before casting another spell with Nobunaga. The Right Eye turned greenish, somehow turning even more disgusting than normal.

Mako flipped away as the Right Eye fired another lightning bolt, feeling her hairs getting burned off as it grazed her. It charged up for a second blast, only to get hit by a pellet. Morgana smirked, holding his slingshot. He cast a lightning spell, striking the Right Eye. It didn't really do much damage, as Morgana expected, but drew its attention.

Morgana started running as the Right Eye turned its focus on him, firing bolt after bolt at the cat. Mako used the distraction to slash at the Right Eye from behind. It turned to attack Mako, only to get Morgana's axe driven into it. 

A heavy slash from Nobunaga tore through the Right Eye, finishing it off. Mako and Morgana split up from there, moving to take on the Mouth and Nose respectively.

Haruko dodged another attack from the Mouth's tongue, slashing it with her sword and cutting part of her it off. She summoned Mordred, freezing the stump to prevent it from regenerating, before ordering her Persona to strike the Mouth directly with its halberd. The Mouth flew back, out of Mordred's reach, and let out a stream of fire. Haruko darted to the side, narrowly dodging the flames as Mako leapt into the fray and cut the tongue straight down the middle as the fire subsided.

"Knight, it's your turn!" Mako called out, springing off the Mouth and firing a spray of bullets from her machine pistol to cover her retreat. Haruko smirked, using Mordred's power to launch herself into the air and use gravity for a falling slash that split the Mouth in two.

Meanwhile, Morgana struck the Nose with lightning as it charged up an air blast, which was shortly followed by a full-force barrage of punches from Shinji and Hercules. "Ora!" He cried out, delivering one last uppercut to send it flying into the air. Morgana then blasted it with as much lightning as he could throw at it, frying it until it was nothing but a burnt husk.

Akari dodged another laser beam from the Left Eye, the last rounds in her revolver into it. She tore off her mask, summoning Jack Frost to cast an ice spell that covered the Left Eye in ice. It started to melt through the ice with a laser, giving Akari time to rush in. She jumped up at it, slashing across its length. Akari landed, jumping right back up to stab it in the back and kicking off.

The portraits' remains all melted, reforming into a weakened Shadow Katsushika.

The Phantom Thieves aimed their firearms (or slingshot in Morgana's case) at Shadow Katsushika, approaching him slowly. If this was a trap, they weren't going to fall for it.

"C-come on! Have mercy! I know you would do what I did if you were in my shoes!" Shadow Katsushika said. "It's natural for the strong to use the weak's talents to further their own growth."

Mako holstered her machine pistol. "Bull. Shit." She hissed. "I'm nothing like you! You're _not_ strong. You're _weak_. You _needed_ my mother's talents. You needed _my_ talents. You _needed_ the talents of every student you've ever had to make it this far! Screw talking! Let's tear him apart!"

That was all the Phantom Thieves needed to hear, as they went into an All-Out Attack, going at Shadow Katsushika from all angles with everything they had. Mako closed the beating out by rushing past him with her sword drawn, skidding to a stop behind him and calmly sheathing her blade.

Black blood sprayed out of Shadow Katsushika's wounds as they all suddenly opened up across his body. Shadow Katsushika screamed, collapsing onto his knees. The man started sobbing uncontrollably, causing the Phantom Thieves to sheath their weapons.

"P-please... don't kill me." He whispered. "I- I had to do it. My creativity was drying up. If I didn't-"

"Shut up!" Mako yelled. Tears were streaming down her face. "You took my mom from me! You made me feel like nothing more than your slave! Give me a reason not to kill you."

"I..." Shadow Katsushika trailed off, unable to justify himself in front of the girl standing before him. "Just do it."

Mako drew her sword, raising it up above her head.

And then she dropped it, the blade clattering on the floor. "Get out of my sight. Tell everyone what you did. And if you back out on that... I'll find you." Mako hissed. " _Go_!"

Shadow Katsushika faded away into sparkling light, returning to the real one. Katsushika's Heart had been changed, and the entire Palace started shaking. 

They started running as fast as they could, desperately to not get crushed on the way out by the falling ceiling.

* * *

The team appeared in the real world, back in their normal clothes (or as a regular cat in Morgana's case) and outside Katsushika's atelier.

" _Destination deleted._ " The Metanav told them, going off from Akari's phone.

"I guess that means we destroyed his Palace." Haruko said, groaning as she picked herself up. Sprinting through the Palace after that death battle with Shadow Katsushika took way too much out of her. "Which means we've either killed him or changed his heart."

Mako dropped to knees, crying. She finally knew what happened to her mother, who killed her, and now she had a chance to let the dam burst. Akari offered a hand to help her up, the artist taking it while wiping away her tears. "Thank you." Mako said, warmly smiling. "My mom's finally been avenged."

Akari just smiled back. And then she realized something.

"Where's Morgana?" The Thieves' leader asked.

Morgana answered that question by loudly caterwauling underneath the Treasure (which was still a painting currently covered by a cloth). Shinji picked up the Treasure, taking the cloth off to reveal the true Sayuri.

"Thanks, Shinji." Morgana said, standing up. He wasn't pinned, but the daze from having to exert himself made it hard to pull himself out from underneath the painting.

"So, what do we do with this?" Haruko asked. "I don't think we can sell it. Mako, do you-"

Mako shook her head. "My dad knows about the Sayuri. He'd ask way too many questions about why I have a weird version of it that I got over the weekend."

"Then, how about I take it?" Akari offered. "My caretaker likes art, but would buy me saying that it was a gift from a friend, and it's super out of the way where nobody bad would see it."

"Just make sure you take good care of it." Mako ordered.

Akari smiled. "Don't worry about it. I think Morgana would kill me if I damaged a Treasure without selling it."

"If you aren't going to sell it, you better keep it as a trophy." Morgana stated.

"So, what do we do now?" Shinji asked. "Besides waiting for Katsushika to confess?"

"I guess we could try to catch up on all the requests the Phansite has for us. We've gotten about four hundred requests in total, and at least a few of them should be real ones." Haruko suggested. "I can take care of checking the names if you want."

"Do that." Akari said. "I'm gonna go home now. It's been a _long_ day."

"It's not even three o'clock." Morgana pointed out. "There's plenty of time to get some more stuff-"

"Nope. Done _plenty_ for today." Akari said, picking up Morgana and stuffing him into her bag. She then picked up the Sayuri.

* * *

Akari returned to Salinger with the Sayuri in tow, eyeing around the shop.

"Hey, Chief, do you got any ideas where to hang this up?" Akari asked. "One of my friends gave this to me as a gift, and I thought it'd really spruce the place up, but..."

Gin recognized the painting, but didn't say anything. After all, the real Sayuri had a purple haze where that baby was. This must have been a recreation of what the woman could have been looking at. "I think... I think it should go in your room." Gin said. "It's yours, and it should be in your space. I can help you hang it up if you need me."

"I'm good. Thanks for the offer though." Akari said.

With that, she hung up the Sayuri in her room over the little couch at the side of the room, and then just goofed off on her phone until it was time to go to bed (much to Morgana's annoyance as he whined about how lazy she was).

* * *

Akari woke up in the Velvet Room, barely surprised. "Good evenin', Iggy." She said.

"Welcome back to my Velvet Room, trickster." Igor said. "You have defeated another Palace Ruler, and have took yet another step towards true rehabilitation."

Akari wanted to ask what rehabilitation really meant (she might even get an answer this time!), but chose to stay silent.

"Our master has decided to grant you a new ability as a reward for your continued progress." Justine explained.

"We'll now let you fuse your Personas to create stronger ones." Caroline added. "Y'know that Treasure Demon that can't fight? That thing's perfect fusion material, for example."

"But, as you would most likely run out of time asleep, we won't be fusing any Personas for you right now. But the option is now open to you, should you find the desire for more strength."

Akari nodded in understanding. "So, Igor, is there any more information on the other Wild Card?"

"No." Igor stated. "While they continue to act, their identity is still unknown."

(Fool Arcana: Rank 5)

Akari sighed, about to respond. And then she woke up.

" _Of course._ " She grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 5
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 3
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 5
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 5
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 4
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 3
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 1
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 3
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Strength, Justine and Caroline: Rank 1


	18. Infinity

5/30/18 (Wednesday)

Akari and the team came out of Mementos, exhausted. They had taken care of roughly twenty requests today, all of which were reasonably tough fights in their own right on top of the combat they faced on the way to them.

Haruko groaned. "We have _got_ to do this stuff more frequently so it doesn't pile up like this."

"I concur with Haruko." Morgana said. "We need to do this more often so we don't have to do it all at once every month."

Akari didn't answer, silent standing still with her eyes closed. A small bubble of snot inflated and deflated with her breathing, much to the other Phantom Thieves' bafflement.

"Did she _actually_ fall asleep standing up?" Mako questioned.

"I guess?" Shinji said. "Do we wake her up?"

The snot bubble popped, and Akari suddenly woke up. "Buh? What happened...?"

"You passed out standing up." Morgana stated.

"Oh. Rin says I do that all the time." Akari said, laughing.

The others stared at her.

"What?"

"Who's Rin?" Mako asked.

"My sister? Did I seriously not tell you guys I have a sister?"

There was a silence as the team processed this information. And then they (minus Morgana) promptly bombarded Akari with questions about her sister.

"Woah, woah, one at a time!"

"How old is she?" Haruko asked. "And how'd she react to your arrest?"

"She's fourteen." Akari answered. "And she was pissed. I thought she was gonna march on down to the police station and beat the crap outta whoever she had to get the charges dropped..." She yawned, dozing off again.

"I don't think we're gonna get any more out of her." Morgana stated. "Mind helping me bring her home?"

"I'll take care of it. Where does she live?" Haruko asked.

* * *

Haruko (and Morgana) brought Akari back to Salinger, leading the still unconscious girl inside. Honestly, Haruko was kind of impressed Akari could still walk around despite being very much asleep. 

"Good evening, sir." Haruko said, bowing. "Akari passed out while we were hanging out and I, Haruko Shirogane, took it upon myself to get her back home."

Gin stared at the unconscious Akari, who was mumbling in her sleep. Something about... stealing hearts? It didn't make much sense to the man (nor to anybody else present). "And she's still standing?"

"According to what her sister tells her, she does this often." Haruko informed. 

"She has a sister?" Gin questioned.

"So you didn't know either, huh? I basically had just found out..." Haruko trailed off as she heard Akari mumble something else. "So... you're Akari's caretaker? She's barely talked about you. Or anything about herself, now that I think about it."

"Akari-chan is... a much more guarded person than she lets on. I think she gets that from her father." Gin said. "Shirogane-san, are you planning on heading home or are you going to stick around for a meal?"

Haruko gave it some thought, before shaking her head. "Mom's cooking udon tonight, so no thanks. That said, if I'm ever in the area, I might just drop by for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee."

After that, Haruko brought Akari upstairs and set her down on the bed. Morgana assured her that he'd take care of things from here and urged Haruko to go home.

* * *

6/6/18 (Wednesday)

Roughly a week later, Akari got a text from Mako while on the subway home. Today was the make or break day, the end of Katsushika's art exhibition. Mako had apparently tried a couple times to get in contact with Katsushika, but he never answered.

MF: " _He's talking._ "

Mako then sent her a link to a livestream of the interview. Akari clicked in, watching it.

Katsushika sat down in front of a microphone. His expression was one of sorrow and regret.

"I have... hurt many." He said. "I abused my students until they committed suicide, stole their works and claimed them as my own. I have not created a single piece of my own since the Sayuri that propelled me into true stardom. And worst of all... I was directly responsible for the death of my first student, Eri Fujinara."

A silence hung over the room. 

"I had let her die to steal the Sayuri from her." He continued. "And then defaced it for a cheap publicity stunt."

By this point, Akari closed the stream. She's seen more than enough.

MF: " _So... mission success?_ "

HS: "You shouldn't be discussing this in the groupchat, but yes. We discuss celebration after the field trip thing happening Saturday."

AS: " _Wait, there's a field trip?_ "

HS: " _Do you ever pay attention to anything the teachers tell you?_ "

AS: " _Where're we going?_ "

HS: " _Some TV studio. We'll get to see the Detective Princess give an interview and see how those kinds of things are filmed._ "

AS: " _But, Naoto Shirogane doesn't do TV stuff anymore._ "

HS: " _Sometimes I forget you're from out in the sticks. The Detective Princess is Eiko Akechi, a third-year at Shujin who's solved nineteen murders before she turned fifteen._ "

ST: " _Nineteen?!_ "

AS: " _That's a lot. Even the Detective Prince herself would have some trouble doing all that!_ "

HS: " _I know. It's almost obscene that someone that young could pull off solving that many murders. Anyway, I'd say this meeting is adjourned?_ "

AS: " _Meeting adjourned! :)_ "

* * *

??/??/18

"So, you truly were the one behind Satsuki Katsushika's confession. This will be the only time I say this. Thank you. You brought the one who killed my wife to justice. And for that, I have to thank you." Eikichi said.

"You're welcome." Akari simply answered. "I'm glad we can at least agree on one thing."

(Judgement Arcana: Rank 2)

Eikichi took a breath, composing himself before setting another file onto the table. It had the picture of a fat man who looked really greasy and generally disgusting. His name came to Akari in short order, Genya Takarada.

"Judging by your face, I see you recognize him. This is Genya Takarada, a major yakuza leader in Tokyo. This was the first major target of yours to lack controversy regarding the choice, propelling the Phantom Thieves into national stardom. So, I want to know the story behind it. How you came to be aware of his actions, your interactions with him, and how you... 'stole his heart'."

Akari took a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. While the drugs were wearing off by now, they still didn't help her in remembering the details of anything. "Sure thing." She ended up saying, smirking. While she felt like crap, she certainly wasn't going to show it if she could avoid it.

* * *

6/7/18 (Thursday)

The next day, Akari ended up being messaged by Mako.

MF: " _Wanna hang out? There's something I wanted to talk to you about._ "

Akari took a few moments to think about her answer, before replying.

AS: " _Sure! Where should meet up with you?_ "

MF: " _I'll be out in Shibuya outside the Big Bang Burger._ "

* * *

Akari found Mako in short order, and the pair ended up just sitting down on a bench where there weren't many people.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Akari asked.

"How do you get your mojo back? Like, you're an actress, right? When you get burnt out and unable to really work, what do you do to fix it?" Mako asked.

Akari put a hand to her chin in thought. "I really... don't know. I've been actin' since I was ten, and I just never really burned out."

"Darn. I was hoping you might know what to do." Mako said. "After we stole Sensei's heart, I... haven't really been able to make anything."

Akari nodded in understanding. "Well, it's only been a day, right? Just, try to do something every day and see if your creative juices get flowin'."

Mako paused, giving the idea some thought. "I guess it can't hurt. Where'd you come up with that idea?"

Akari shrugged. "Try having a sister who makes her own music and complains whenever she gets hit with artist's block. You'll start comin' up with every possible solution and then some. Most of them are... hit or miss, but that one was the winner of the bunch."

"Well, I should probably get going. My father told me he was going to actually be home for once today, so I'm gonna make dinner for him." Mako said, standing up.

(Emperor Arcana: Rank 3)

Akari got up as well, heading home. She passed by the door to the Velvet Room, and remembered the new power Igor had granted her.

She headed inside, giving a polite nod to Justine as she entered.

* * *

As per usual, she found herself in her little cell once more. "Hey, Caroline, Justine!" She said. "I'd like to try out that Persona Fusion stuff."

"Just pick two of your Personas from this list," Caroline handed her a clipboard, which had a list of Akari's current Personas. "And we'll show you what you'll get."

"Once you have finalized your decision, we will execute them to create a new Persona." Justine added. "I recommend using the Treasure Demon you had found in the last Palace, as that is its only purpose at this point."

Akari nodded, looking through her options. She wasn't fusing Caulfield (for obvious reasons), Pixie seemed more useful the way it was now as a healer, and Jack Frost was her strongest Persona besides Caulfield. That left only one option.

"What if I fused Kelpie and the Treasure Demon?" Akari asked.

Justine paused for a moment, searching for the result in her mind. "You would acquire a Medusa. And a reasonably powerful one at that."

"With Poison Breath?"

Justine nodded in response.

"Then that's my choice."

The two Personas manifested outside the cell, along with two guillotines. Justine and Caroline threw some cloths over the Personas and then... 

By this point, Akari turned around and closed her eyes. She heard an awful squelching sound as the blades tore through her old Personas, allowing the essence to merge to create a Medusa. As you would expect, the Medusa was a woman with a snake tail in place of legs and a hairdo made of snakes.

"And that makes my second test completed, right?" Akari asked, feeling Medusa's new presence in her soul and the loss of the Treasure Demon and Kelpie."

"Indeed. You are moving along quite smoothly." Justine stated.

(Strength Arcana: Rank 2)

"So we'll grant you an extra kind of Persona fusion!" Caroline said. "If you can get us a specific set of Personas, we can fuse all of them together into a very powerful one." She pulled out a clipboard, handing it over to Akari so she could see what she could do in the future. Right now, there were a couple of options that were well out of Akari's reach and nothing else. Akari handed the clipboard back, not really needing it right now. "Anyway, next up is a Cerberus with Mabufudyne."

Akari nodded. "So, you two are allowed to leave the Velvet room and roam freely, right?"

"Yes. We are capable of doing so if your rehabilitation requires it." Justine stated.

"Great! Next time I get the chance, I'm hanging out with you two and having some fun!" Akari said. She then left the Velvet Room before the twin wardens could say anything in response.

* * *

6/8/18 (Friday)

After Akari returned to Salinger, she got a text.

RS: " _Hey, Akari, could we have a video chat? I want to see your face again._ "

AS: " _Sure thing! Just let me get up into my room and set up. :)_ "

Akari quickly headed up into her room, sitting down on her bed. After a couple minutes of finagling to get everything right, Akari saw her sister's face for the first time in over two months. Rin Suzuki, Akari's younger sister, shared Akari's brown hair (albeit several shades darker, much closer to their father's hair color) and had similarly brown eyes. Compared to her sister, her facial features were a bit more defined as a result of Rin being more physically active (and just taking more after their father physically speaking), but still youthful and cutesy as her age would suggest.

"So, how's my darling little sister been doing?" Akari asked. "It's been a little while."

"Sorry. Between schoolwork, personal time, and just being anxious about the idea, I put it off for a bit longer than I should have." Rin said. "And then father showed up. As in, he _actually_ took time out of his work as a _traveling therapist_ to see me and Mom. You know what the only thing he said to me was? 'Do not contact your sister.' And then he left. Just, showed up, said that, and then promptly proceeded to leave."

Akari giggled. "You immediately went to call me, of course."

"Well, yeah. What sort of sister would I be if I didn't actively defy our neglectful father and make sure you were all right? Speaking of, how's your new school been treating you? I heard about that pervert teacher."

"She threatened to expel me because Haruko got pissed off that one of the students jumped off the roof due to her bullshit. And then the Phantom Thieves swooped in and saved the day. So... school's been doing fine."

Rin's expression turned to a blank stare. "You actually believe those guys exist." And then she laughed. "I mean, it shouldn't come as a surprise. You've always been a bit... airheaded."

"I am not airheaded! I got fourty-ninth on the exams last month!" Akari retorted, pouting.

"Let me guess, in a class of fifty?" Rin remarked, giggling as Akari's pout only grew more immature. "Sorry, I had to. Weren't you the one who had that occult phase?"

" _Don't remind me_..." Akari grumbled.

"Anyway, I found this." Rin held up a plush toy of Jack Frost. "I saw this little guy while I was at Junes and knew you'd love him. I'm sending him over to you tomorrow afternoon."

A metaphorical lightbulb turned on in Akari's head. "Hey, do you think you could send me more stuff every once in a while? Like, once a week, just find something for cheap and send it over." She suggested.

Rin remained silent in thought. "I suppose. Dad gave me about one hundred thousand yen in an attempt to bribe me out of contacting you, so it's not like I'm strapped for cash."

"He did what? What is he even trying to play at?" Akari questioned. "I can't even think of a time where he gave either of us anything."

"I can confirm that he's never once given us anything." Rin said. "Anyway, I gotta go to bed. It's getting a little late."

"G'night, Rin!"

"Goodnight, Akari."

And then Rin hung up.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast re-acquired an old vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Star Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

(Star Arcana: Rank 7)

* * *

??/??/18

"What about your sister? How does she fit into all of this?" Eikichi questioned. "She's been sending you random items for months."

"A: Isn't it a little hypocritical to complain about me bringing up Mako and then you proceeding to bring up my sister? And B: I never said a word to her about the Phantom Thieves." Akari replied.

"I'll be the judge of that."

* * *

6/9/18 (Saturday)

Today was the day, a field trip for all the second-year students.The team (minus Mako) were all sitting on a train heading to their destination.

"Oh, wow..." Morgana mumbled, staring at the window while sitting on Akari's shoulder. "That place looks like a pancake!"

Haruko took a look at what Morgana was staring at. "Huh. I suppose you're right."

"Is that a kitty?" Some kid asked.

This was the moment where Akari remembered that pets weren't supposed to be on the train. She chuckled, trying to play it cool. "It's actually a super advanced toy! If you tap it on the head, it meows!" And then Akari bopped Morgana on the head.

He meowed. And the kid bopped him on the head, and Morgana meowed again.

The gears turned in Akari's head. "Wanna see something really cool, kid?"

And then she start rapid fire bopping Morgana on the head. It wasn't with any real force, but Morgana still had to try to keep up with his meows.

The kid laughed, and then went away. "Not funny..." Morgana grumbled, gasping for breath.

"It was kinda funny." Shinji said.

* * *

Thankfully, the rest of the train ride went by without incident and the team got to be part of the audience during one of the Detective Princess' interviews.

Eiko Akechi was a young woman that was about Mako's age, with long and smooth black hair. She had purple eyes, and a small mole on her left cheek. Eiko was currently dressed in a beige coat over the Shujin uniform, with black stockings going up to her knee.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm the Detective Princess, Eiko Akechi." Akechi said.

"Hello, Akechi-san." The host said, adjusting her glasses.

The interview was fairly simple, mostly just talking about Eiko Akechi's cases as of late.

And then the most important question was asked. "And what do you think of the Phantom Thieves? Do you believe they truly exist?" The host asked.

Akechi laughed. "Whether they exist or not is irrelevant. I'm more concerned with the morality of their actions. If what they say is true, their methods are little more than brainwashing their targets until they confess. Which raises the question of whether or not the targets are even telling the truth."

A sound went off, signalling that it was time for the commercial break. "Well, that's all the time we have for this segment. Join us after the break as we continue to interview the Detective Princess." The host said. "Those of you at home, text the number on-screen with either yes or no to vote on whether you agree with the Phantom Thieves or not."

Akechi stood up, wanting to stretch her legs for a bit. She looked around, trying to find someone of interest to talk to. And that was how Akari and Akechi first met, as the latter walked over to her.

"And what of you? I notice you're a Shujin student. What's your perspective on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?" Akechi asked.

"Well... I think that it's better than the alternative. Do you honestly think that Kobayashi-san should've just went without punishment for her actions? Would that really be better than brainwashing her?" Akari retorted. "Or that a man who spent over a decade abusing his students to the point of suicide should have just walked away without so much as a slap on the wrist? The Phantom Thieves wouldn't be doing what they do if there was a better way."

Before Akari could continue, Haruko interjected. "Sorry for my friend. She's a big Phangirl, and gets worked up whenever the Phantom Thieves get mentioned. There's a reason why I try to avoid the topic. I'm more on the line of, 'I'd rather the bad people they target get punished this way than by some vigilante going around murdering them'." 

Akechi put a hand to her chin in thought. "Both of you have interesting stances on this topic. I'd say that, right now, all three of us have weight to our arguments and none could be considered unequivocally wrong."

"I mean, you were saying that a pedophile shouldn't have been punished because the way the Thieves do it is 'bad'. I think that's a pretty bad take." Akari pointed out.

"I'd like to hear more of your point of view. Perhaps we could hang out some time, miss...?"

"Suzuki."

"Suzuki-san, in exchange for intellectual assistance, I'll teach you how to make deductions and to act like a detective." Akechi asked.

"Sure thing!" Akari said. While she didn't really trust Akechi and was going to keep her at arm's length as much as possible, learning how a detective thinks could help her avoid the authorities.

_I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow._

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the Justice Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that will lead to freedom and new power._

* * *

After that short discussion, the ad break was came to an end and Akechi returned to her seat to continue the interview. Nothing of note happened during the interview and, after a short tour of the studio, the gang was heading out. Schooling was over for today, leaving the team with a pertinent question. 

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Haruko asked.

"I wanna go to the pancake place!" Morgana instantly said, popping his head out of Akari's bag.

"Well, that's as good a choice as any. Does anyone else have any other ideas?" 

Akari and Shinji both shrugged. "Sounds good ta me." Shinji said.

"And I don't really know where else to go!" Akari added.

"Did somebody say something about delicious pancakes?" Akechi asked, walking up to them.

"Yeah... one of us wanted to visit that pancake looking place." Akari said. "Dome Town, I think."

"Well, I'd love to come with, but duty calls and all." Akechi then left. The Phantom Thieves stared at where she was, baffled.

"Is she trying to insert herself into our friend group despite barely knowing us?" Haruko questioned. "How lonely _is_ she?"

While the team talked to each other, heading out to continue their day, Yui Watanabe watched them from a distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 5
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 3
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 5
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 5
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 4
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 3
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 3
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Strength, Justine and Caroline: Rank 2
> 
> Star, Rin Suzuki: Rank 7
> 
> Justice, Eiko Akechi: Rank 1


	19. Tokyo Emergency (Side A)

6/7/18 (Thursday)

"Ah, good afternoon, Watanabe-chan." Shujin's principal, Sanemi Kotomine, said. He was a very fat man dressed in a bright green suit. It was tacky as hell.

Yui sat down in the seat in front of his desk, trying to keep her composure. "Good afternoon, Principal Kotomine. May I ask why you called me here?"

"There's been... a problem. I assume you're aware of the Phantom Thieves?" Kotomine said. "We believe they may be students here."

Yui resisted the urge to point out that was obvious. "That's... very interesting. What does that have to do with me?"

"I want you to investigate them. You're a bright mind, you could figure out who they are. And if you don't... we know what your father used to do."

Yui froze up.

"It would be a simple matter to report him to the proper authorities and have you taken away."

"Un-understood, sir. I will investigate the Phantom Thieves." Yui stated. "Am I dismissed?"

One nod later, Yui got up and left. She sent a quick text to her father that she'll be out for a little while and that it's really important for her schooling that she does so. If she told him what was going on, he'd probably take her out of Tokyo entirely.

' _All right, Yui, where do we start?_ ' She wondered, as she walked down the hall. She'd need to look into who has a connection with both Kobayashi and Katsushika. She could name plenty of people who were involved with one or the other, but not both.

* * *

6/8/18 (Friday)

As it turned out (from an almost two day investigation), there was exactly zero people who had ties to both Kobayashi and Katsushika. At least, not in any meaningful way. The best she got was a volleyball team member enjoying Katsushika's art. 

She decided that she wasn't looking at this from the right angle. "If I can't find a direct connection between the Thieves' targets, then I'll just have to figure out how they find targets." Yui said to herself.

Yui pulled out her phone, searching up that 'Phansite' that she heard a lot about. If there was anywhere she was going to get some info, it was there.

Nothing helpful. She searched through the site's posts for at least an hour, and found nothing beyond target suggestions and feedback. And to make matters more annoying, the site hadn't even been around when Kobayashi confessed.

Thankfully, one of her classmates was still nearby and she was smart enough to offer a second idea.

"Shirogane-san, could I bother you for a little bit?" Yui asked. 

Shirogane looked up from her phone, slightly surprised. "Sure thing! Honestly, it's good to see you actually stick around after school. You've been up and vanishing a lot lately."

"Sorry about that. My dad got spooked about something and forced me to come straight home after school for the past while." Yui said. "Anyway, you know about those Phantom Thieves, right?"

Shirogane nodded. Yui didn't quite catch it, but Shirogane had made a face of worry before replacing it with a neutral expression.

"I was wondering how they picked their targets. There's pretty much nothing connecting Kobayashi and Katsushika. Do you have any theories?"

Shirogane was quiet, trying to figure out her answer. "I think you're putting too much thought into it. The Phantom Thieves probably just stumbled upon their targets through sheer happenstance."

Yui stared at Shirogane, trying to look for any hint of a lie. "I suppose. But doesn't it seem weird that there's no connection? The only student here that has any association with Katsushika didn't interact with Kobayashi or the volleyball team in any significant amount."

"Why are you asking, anyway?" Shirogane asked. "Never really thought of you as one who took stock of those kinds of rumors."

"It's a long story. I'll tell you once it's all squared away." Yui said.

"Right." Shirogane responded. "Well, I hope you get whatever you're doing done." She stood up, heading out.

With that, Yui was left on her lonesome. 

' _Sheer happenstance, huh? That makes things a lot more annoying._ ' She thought.

* * *

6/9/18 (Friday)

The next day had a field trip for all the second-years, much to Yui's newfound annoyance. She was actually looking forward to it when they had informed her of it, but now that she has something important to do, it became quite frustrating to have her work delayed like this. But, things ended up working in her favor.

Yui never really thought of fate as a thing. She wasn't religious, and she always treated events as the result of many individual actions coming together.

And then the Detective Princess spoke with Suzuki-san. That short exchange gave Yui a lead. The way she talked sounded like she knew the Phantom Thieves on a more personal level than she wanted to let on.

It all clicked in Yui's mind. The new transfer student was the Phantom Thieves, or at least part of the group. Suzuki-san showed up, got caught up in Kobayashi's actions, and then did whatever the Phantom Thieves did to 'steal hearts'.

But, that theory still had a problem. ' _How did she catch wind of Katsushika?_ ' Yui wondered.

And therein lied the main problem. While she could easily come up with plenty of possible candidates for the changing of one heart, she couldn't find one that had connection to both. Which meant she hadn't progressed nearly as much as she thought originally. Sure, she had a lead, but a lead can just as easily be a waste of time as it could be the right path.

That said, spying on them as they left let her see a rather bizarre moment of the Detective Princess bothering Suzuki-san's group about pancakes. Despite nobody having said a word that even sounded like 'pancake'.

She did hear a meow, which led her to only one possible outcome.

' _The Detective Princess speaks cat._ ' Which sounded positively ridiculous. ' _Or she just imagined it. Which makes a lot more sense._ '

* * *

6/11/18 (Monday)

The start of the next school week came with new rumors. Sadly, nothing that was directly connected to the Phantom Thieves. That said...

"Did you hear? Fudo-kun's got this new 'part-time job'. All he has to do is deliver packages, or something like that." She had overheard.

While it wasn't technically part of her mission... Kotomine would definitely understand if she looked into that while searching for the Phantom Thieves. So, she approached whoever had said that, and asking them which Fudo-kun she should be talking to.

She found Tensei Fudo in short order, and spoke with him.

" _Hey, Fudo-kun~_ " She said, putting on a sugary tone. While it was undignified, she really didn't care at this point. If it got her results, she'll take it. " _I heard you got a part-time job~_!"

"Uh, yeah. You, uh, want some money?" Fudo asked.

"I'm more curious about where you got the job. You see, I'm a little strapped for cash right now."

"I don't- I have to go." Fudo ran off, much to Yui's annoyance. Well, at least it told her that this part-time job was shady. Very shady.

She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

* * *

6/12/18 (Tuesday)

It was definitely _not_ a good thing. She had went around school, interrogating basically everyone who had any involvement with the new part-time jobs that've been going around. Through that, she realized a few things.

First: The primary targets for these part-time jobs were men, and usually first years.

Second: The packages these people deliver are drugs. And hardcore drugs at that.

Third: The few girls she talked to in regards to this seem to be doing something different from the guys.

Fourth: That job the girls were doing was probably sexual.

And fifth: This involved the yakuza.

As such, she immediately headed to Principal Kotomine to inform him. This was something that had to be addressed before even thinking about going after the Phantom Thieves.

"Ah, Watanabe-chan, how goes the investigation?" Kotomine asked.

"In a different and far worse direction that I expected." Yui answered. She explained what was going on with the new 'part-time jobs', and waited for Kotomine to respond.

"And what of the Phantom Thieves?" He asked.

"With all due respect, they are relatively unimportant." Yui said. "They can wait until after we deal with the whole yakuza business."

"I will take care of this. You continue searching for the Phantom Thieves. Now go."

Yui didn't think he was going to take care of it. He was going to ignore the problem, just like with Kobayashi. But... searching for the Phantom Thieves wasn't that bad of an idea. If they had the power to make bad people turn themselves in, then perhaps they could solve this problem.

* * *

6/13/18 (Wednesday)

Yui's hunt for the Phantom Thieves continued the next day. Her method this time was to follow Shirogane-san, hoping that would lead her to Suzuki-san and thus the Phantom Thieves.

Unfortunately, all she got to see was the two hanging out.

* * *

6/14/18 (Thursday)

The next day, Yui did the same thing as last time, this time with much better results. Haruko, Akari, Shinji, and some upperclassman Yui barely recognized gathered on the roof, discussing their plans.

"I've finally found you." Yui stated, dramatically throwing the door open as she walked out onto the roof. After everything she went through, she deserved to have a little fun with this. 

"We're not really hiding." Haruko pointed out.

"I know who you four really are." Yui stated.

Akari's cat meowed in response.

"You are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

As Yui had expected, the four (and the cat, judging by a shocked meow coming out of him) were caught off-guard by her statement. Just the reaction she had hoped for. "How'd you figure it out?" Shinji asked.

"You just told me." Yui smirked.

Akari sighed. "Watanabe-san, what do you want? If it's money, I'll give you what I have."

"I don't want money. It's... I need your help. There's been an influx in part-time jobs that are operated by the yakuza. They're blackmailing students here into being drug runners and prostitutes. So, please change their boss's heart and stop this."

There was a silence.

"Are- are you going to do it?" Yui asked, sounding dejected. This was her only way to protect her school, to make sure the people she spent so much of her time with would be safe.

"We'll do it." Akari assured. "A yakuza boss is somebody that everyone can agree needs to be taken down. It's just... do you have a name?"

At this point, the already stressed and sleep deprived Yui decided enough was enough for her brain, and she just plain passed out.


	20. Tokyo Emergency (Side B)

6/10/18 (Sunday)

Akari hummed a song to herself, helping clean up Salinger before opening time. She swept the floors, listening to the morning news on the TV.

" _And in breaking news, rhythm gymnast Chika Akemi had been struck by a speeding vehicle last night._ " The newscaster said. " _Her condition is critical._ "

"I hope she'll be okay." Akari said to herself. Once the floors were swept, she moved on to cleaning the tables, and then did the dishes.

By the time Gin came in, the place was pretty much spotless and Akari was resting at the bar with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Akari-chan." Gin said, taking in the sight of the newly cleaned Salinger. "I see you've been busy."

"Well, I wanted to repay you somehow for letting me stay here, and I'm not very good at making coffee." Akari said, sipping for her cup and grimacing.

"Thank you, Akari-chan. Can I have a taste of that coffee you made?"

Akari handed it over. "Your funeral."

Gin took a sip, and retched in disgust. "How did you make it _that_ bitter?" He questioned. "This is borderline toxic."

Akari simply shrugged. "I did everything by the book."

"Listen, how about I teach you a bit more about making coffee?" Gin offered. "If only so I don't have to worry about you poisoning yourself or a customer."

"Sure thing!"

(Hierophant Arcana: Rank 5)

Even with all of Gin's skills, Akari still didn't get any better at making coffee. It was a simple process, she does everything 'right', and then it comes out awful. In the end, they just treated Akari as having a supernaturally bad skills.

She was never to touch the coffee maker again. 

* * *

After lunch, Akari got a text from Mako, and headed out.

They met up in Shibuya, where Akari found Mako at the train station.

"Akari, glad you could make it!" Mako said. "I got my drive back!"

"Really? That's great to hear!" Akari said. "But... you could've just texted me that."

"Yeah, but I had an idea that needs you to assist me."

"Do I hafta model again?"

Mako shook her head, pulling out her phone. Within a few moments, they were in Mementos and in their Phantom Thieve attire.

"I'm gonna doing a sketch of Mementos! And I need you to defend me while I do so." Mako explained, pulling out a sketchbook from her bag and a pencil. She got to work, sketching the surrounding area in detail.

Akari sighed, drawing her knife as a quintet of Shadows approached. At least she could get some training in, and maybe even a new Persona! Probably not, but it was an exciting prospect regardless.

* * *

Akari tore her blade out of the last Shadow, exhausted. It had been about twenty minutes of non-stop combat, as new Shadows had started coming in to replace the ones that Akari killed.

"All done!" Mako declared.

"Thank goodness." Akari muttered. "Let's get out of here before more Shadows show up."

They left Mementos in short order, and Akari and Mako sat down a bench to rest.

"So, let's see it!" Akari said. "After all that work I did defending you, I wanna see what you made."

Mako held out her sketchbook so Akari could see what she drew.

It was a sketch of Akari fighting a Shadow (a Jack Frost, some part of Akari' brain reminded her). "I... I don't know what to say."

"Y-you don't like it?" Mako asked.

"I love it! I wanted to say more, but I don't really know how to critique art." Akari said. "It's really pretty. I just... don't know how to get this across in a meaningful way."

"Th-thanks. It's nice to hang out with you, Akari."

"Same to you. Just, uh, don't make me hafta fight a whole bunch of Shadows again." Akari said, chuckling. 

"Sorry. I just had the idea and I really wanted to get it done." Mako said. "So, wanna hang out some more next week?"

"Sure thing! Text me 'round Friday and we'll figure it out from there!"

(Emperor Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

6/11/18 (Monday)

Akari sought out Futaba after school ended.

"Hey, Futaba, could I ask you to help me out?" She asked.

Futaba looked up from her phone, taking a moment to respond. "Sure, what do you need?"

Akari pulled the laptop she bought for Morgana out of her bag, setting on Futaba's desk. "I need some help fixing this thing. I've been trying to fix for the past... few weeks? It's been a while, and I can't figure out what's wrong with it. I don't wanna buy a new one if I can get away with it."

Futaba started inspecting it, taking it apart as necessary. After a few minutes with Akari tensely standing next to her, Futaba figured out what was wrong. 

"Battery's completely dead." Futaba informed. "Everything else is in working order, but the battery needs replacement."

"How much do one of those cost?" Akari asked, desperately hoping they were cheap. Her wallet wouldn't like having to spend 3,000+ Yen on a single piece of hardware.

"I got one in my bag that should work." Futaba said, fishing through her bag in search for the item. Akari breathed a sigh of relief. After a quick installation, the laptop was finally in working order.

Akari put it into her bag, relieved to finally have that dealt with. "Thank you so much, Futaba!"

"You're welcome! So, that's a gift for someone else, right?" Futaba asked.

"Yeah, for Morgana."

Futaba stared at her.

"Because it's too expensive to buy him a normal phone and he's a part of the team?"

"I didn't realize he was part of the team." Futaba flatly said.

"Well, you're lucky Morgana's at my place right now. I wouldn't be able to shut him up for hours." Akari said. "Anyway, I should get goin'. Thanks for taking care of this for me!" She ran off.

(Sun Arcana: Rank 4)

* * *

Akari came home to find Morgana lounging on her bed, sleeping. She set the laptop down on the desk, turning it on and starting to get things set up.

Morgana yawned, waking up and noticing Akari. "G'mornin'..." He mumbled, still half-asleep.

After a fairly long pause, Morgana's mental faculties returned enough to the point where he could process that Akari was A: actually there, and B: doing something.

He jumped up into her lap. "You got the laptop fixed?"

"Yep! Well, I got Futaba to do it for me." Akari admitted. "I'm just getting things set up so you can actually join the groupchat. I bought this thing for you. Just, don't buy anything without my permission."

Morgana didn't say anything for a while.

"And... done!" Akari said, sending a message on the laptop that caused her phone to go off.

M: " _Meow! Morgana now has a laptop to post in the groupchat with! This post was made by Akari making sure this works._ "

HS: " _That's good to hear. Now we can actually discuss things over the chat and he can contribute._ "

Akari picked Morgana up, setting him down on the desk. "You can type on this, right?" 

Morgana typed out a message.

M: " _It's nice to able to talk to you guys more._ "

ST: " _Same to you!_ "

AS: " _So, when do you guys wanna meet up next for our after-school activities?_ "

MF: " _I'm free on Thursday!_ "

ST: " _Same here!_ "

HS: " _So, Thursday it is. Let's meet up on the roof like usual._ "

Morgana turned to Akari, and hugged her (or did the best he could with his body).

"Thanks." Morgana said. Akari returned his embrace, smiling. 

"Don't worry about it. You're my friend, one of the first I found when I got to Tokyo. When you get your body back, you can come back to Inaba with me."

"Really?"

"I mean, where else are you gonna go?"

Morgana chuckled. "Fair enough. I'd kinda like to start traveling once I get my body back, though. There's a whole lot of world out there, and I wanna see at least some of it."

"Well, just remember you'll always have a home with me." 

(Magician Arcana: Rank 4)

* * *

6/12/18 (Tuesday)

AS: " _Hey, Shinji, you know where to get some good clothes cheap, right?_ "

ST: " _Yeah... you need new clothes?_ "

AS: " _Yep! Most of my old clothes don't actually fit me all that well any more! And they're kinda ugly since I bought them when I was fourteen and had no taste._ " 

ST: " _Meet up with me in Shibuya after school._ "

And so they did, and Shinji brought her to a fairly nice clothing store and told her that he'll pay for everything.

While Akari was busy looking through skirts to find stuff she liked, she decided to ask Shinji a question.

"Hey, how's Chihiro been doing?"

Shinji was silent for several seconds. "He's been doing really good. He might be discharged in a couple weeks from now."

"That's great! Although... I imagine he's transferring to a different school."

"Yeah." Shinji said. Akari picked up on his tone and just how tired his answer sounded. He had something else on his mind about Chihiro.

"Is... is something happening between you and Chihiro?" Akari asked.

Shinji sighed. "No, it's... it's stupid, alright?"

"So are a lot of things. Doesn't mean I won't help you."

Shinji didn't say anything for a bit.

"Chihiro's still my friend."

Now it was Akari's turn to be silent. More out of bafflement than nervousness, but she still took a few seconds to respond.

"Care to run that one by me again?" Akari asked. "I just wanna make sure I'm hearing you right before I give any advice."

"It's... I was expecting Chihiro to hate me after everything." Shinji elaborated. "I know, it's stupid, just like me-"

"You're not stupid. And neither are your feelings." Akari assured. "You're dealing with survivor's guilt. You feel bad because you didn't 'suffer' as bad as he did, on top of blaming yourself for what happened."

Shinji didn't say anything.

"Just... remember that you deserve friendship. Okay?"

Shinji nodded, right before Akari hugged him.

(Moon Arcana: Rank 6)

* * *

6/13/18 (Wednesday)

Akari left her classroom after school, instantly coming face to face with Haruko.

"Can we hang out and talk?" Haruko asked.

"Sure... what do you wanna talk about?"

"Not here. Just, come with me."

* * *

They went out behind the school (where Haruko brought Akari to run laps that one time), Haruko quickly scanning the area to make sure nobody important was eavesdropping on them (Watanabe-san was, but she wouldn't tell anybody).

"So, mind telling me what's going on?" Akari asked.

"I'm having trouble making a decision." Haruko said. "It's just... I'm not sure if I want to rejoin the track team."

Akari took a moment to think. "Don't you really like running?"

"Of course I do! There's a reason why I did track. It's just... it'll cut into our time together a lot, especially our after-school activities." Haruko explained, sighing. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I can't make the decision for you, Haruko." Akari stated. "I'll listen to you, but I'm not gonna tell you which one to choose."

Haruko sighed again. "You're too good, you know that? How in the world did I ever end up with someone like you?"

Akari shrugged. "Guess somebody got lucky."

"Or unlucky." Haruko remarked. "I mean, you're only here because you got arrested and I definitely wouldn't have been the kind of person who would have made friends with you if Kobayashi didn't break my leg."

There was a short silence between them.

"Huh. I guess you're right." Akari ended up saying. "so, what do you wanna do now?"

"Well, we haven't had a good run together in a while."

Akari groaned.

"It's good for you! You could use the exercise!"

Akari and Haruko ran laps around the school for about an hour.

(Lovers Arcana: Rank 6)

* * *

6/14/18 (Thursday)

The Phantom Thieves gathered on the roof to discuss business.

"So... anybody got any ideas?" Mako asked. "I think the public support's starting to drop off."

"Yeah. I think the initial shock of Katushika's confession has started to wear off and now his defenders are coming out in full-force." Haruko said. "We need someone big and genuinely evil. Someone who nobody would disagree with us taking down."

"Like a yakuza boss?" Shinji suggested. "Only people who like them are yakuza."

"That's... not a bad idea." Akari said.

"Problem is, we don't really know any and I don't think it's gonna be at all easy for us to investigate them without a lead." Morgana pointed out. "And I doubt a lead will just magically drop into our laps."

"I've finally found you." Yui stated, throwing the doors to the roof open as she walked out onto the roof.

"We're not really hiding." Haruko pointed out.

"I know who you four really are." Yui added.

"It's five, actually." Morgana said.

"You are the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

The team was shocked. While they had expected somebody to figure out that they were the Phantom Thieves, they were A: expecting to be a while longer before that happened, and B: expecting it would a detective or someone of that ilk who'd be figuring it out.

"How'd you figure it out?" Shinji asked.

Yui smirked. "You just told me."

Akari sighed. Damage control time it is. "Watanabe-san, what do you want? If it's money, I'll give you what I have."

"I don't want money." Yui said. "It's... I need your help. There's been an influx in part-time jobs that are operated by the yakuza. They're blackmailing students here into being drug runners and prostitutes. So, please change their boss's heart and stop this."

Silence overtook the roof. This was exactly what the Thieves were after. 

"Are- are you going to do it?" Yui asked.

"We'll do it." Akari said. "A yakuza boss is somebody that everyone can agree needs to be taken down. It's just... do you have a name?"

And then Yui passed out, Haruko barely managing to catch her before she hit the ground. This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 5
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 4
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 6
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 6
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 5
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 3
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 4
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 3
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 1
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Strength, Justine and Caroline: Rank 2
> 
> Star, Rin Suzuki: Rank 7
> 
> Justice, Eiko Akechi: Rank 1


	21. Mass Destruction

6/14/18 (Thursday)

Yui woke up a few minutes later, still on the roof with the Phantom Thieves.

"Ah, you're awake." Haruko said, as Yui stood up. "So, about that yakuza boss..."

"Oh, right. You said you need a name, right?" Yui asked, recieving nods from the Thieves. "I don't have one."

Haruko sighed. "Of course."

"Well, we still got a lead." Mako said. "That's a win in my book!"

"How much information did you figure out, Watanabe-san?" Akari asked.

"I managed to compile a list of students that got dragged into this." Yui said. "And I tried asking around to find the boss' name, and nobody knows anything."

"Well, it's better than nothing." Morgana said. "But it's not enough to get us into the Palace."

"Hey, didn't we meet up with this reporter girl that one time?" Shinji asked.

"Shinji, did I ever tell you you're a genius?" Akari asked. "'Cuz you are. Watanabe-san, I need you to write down everything you know and give it to me. We'll take care of it from here."

* * *

After Yui gave them all the information she could, the Thieves headed home.

As for Akari, she got to work setting things up with Fumika Fumizuki. She dialed the number on her business card, and waited for her to answer. 

"Hello, who is this?" She asked.

"It's Akari Suzuki. That girl you met outside Katsushika's house?"

"Oh, you! What do you have for me?"

"I have some info on the Phantom Thieves, but I kinda need someone info in return. Do you ever investigate much crime around Shibuya and Shujin Academy?"

"I have a few sources."

Akari almost wanted to jump for joy, but kept herself composed. "Where do you wanna meet up? I got a source of my own on the Phantom Thieves I think you'd like."

Fumika paused in thought. "Meet me at a bar called 'Crossroads' in Shinjuku. I'll text you the address."

"Great! I'll text you soon once I figure out when my source is free!"

"Just don't disappoint me!" And then Fumika hung up.

* * *

6/15/18 (Friday)

As it turned out, Futaba was actually free the very next day, and Fumika was perfectly willing to have the meet-up that day as well.

Haruko also insisted on coming with them, informing where exactly Akari was heading.

"I just looked up that address you're going to, and it's smack dab in the middle of Kabukicho." Haruko explained, while walking to the train station with Futaba and Akari.

"Why's that got you riled up?" Akari asked. "And I thought it was in Shinjuku."

Haruko sighed. "I always forget you're from the sticks. Kabukicho's a red light district."

"Oh." Akari flatly responded. Futaba also stared at Haruko, processing the information.

" _WHAT_?!" Both Akari and Futaba exclaimed.

"Akari, what kind of people are you hanging out with?" Futaba questioned.

"I'm asking that question to myself right now! I didn't realize we were going... _there_."

"You shouldn't have to worry about getting... bothered, as long as we all stick together. I'd love to get an adult to accompany us so _they_ can get all the weird stares, but I don't think we have any to convince to go with us." Haruko said. "At least I've got enough muscle to beat up anybody who tries anything."

"You're not making me any less worried." Akari said.

"Just trust me! I swear on my life that nobody is going to touch either of you without your consent."

Akari sighed. What has she gotten herself into?

* * *

They arrived in Shinjuku in some time later, taking in the night life (even if the sun hasn't actually set yet). Walking down the street, they noticed that a whole bunch of people were staring at them. Most of them were twice their age, or more.

Akari shuddered, grabbing her friends' hands and walking a little faster. She's dealt with plenty of creeps before. This isn't anything new.

"Hey, girls, why don't you three come back to my place?" Some guy, who reeked of alcohol, said; moving in front of them.

"We're meeting up with my father, we can't afford to dawdle." Haruko instantly stated, hoping he would buy the lie and move on.

"C'mon, it won't be that long..." Nope, that guy wasn't going to stop. Akari looked to Futaba, who looked like she was about to faint in fear. 

"I also have a boyfriend!" Akari blurted out. "He's a bodybuilder, and could probably break you like a twig." She managed to calm down just enough to put on a semi-convincing performance, one that would be bought by a drunken creep. She then pulled out her phone and showed him a picture she had saved (for personal reasons) of a particularly muscular guy.

That managed to get him to back off. Lucky for him, since Haruko was seconds away from kicking him in the balls with every ounce of strength she had.

They ran to Crossroads after that, ignoring everyone else along the way.

The trio let out a collective sigh of relief. "I thought that was going to go way worse." Futaba said.

"We're lucky he bought that." Haruko said. "Remind me to never come here again."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Akari remarked. "Let's just go inside and get this over with."

Crossroads was a fairly nice bar, with a mostly purple aesthetic. It was also thankfully, mostly empty.

Fumika waved from the booth she was sitting at. "You're finally here!" The trio ran over, sitting down on the opposite side of the table from her. Which resulted in Futaba being awkwardly squeezed between Akari and Haruko.

"Sorry about that." Akari said. "We kinda got held up by some jerk."

"Well, now that you're here, I suppose we should start trading information." Fumika said.

Akari sighed. "Listen, I'm not saying I don't trust you, but I really need to get what you've got. I'm not handing over anything until I get what you've got."

Fumika and Akari stared each other down for a few moments, trying to get the other to give in.

Fumika sighed. "Fine. I had gotten into contact with my sources after you called me, and things might be getting a little... messed up, near Shujin Academy."

"Yakuza are getting kids there sucked into scams that'll probably end in them indebted to the yakuza, we know." Haruko said. "We were hoping that you might've had one of the boss' names."

"I was getting there. My sources think that some guy named Genya Takarada is the ringleader behind the operation." Fumika said. "I couldn't get much more that you don't seem to already know."

Akari smiled. "You told us all we needed. Anyway, our source is the person who made the Phansite, sitting right next to me."

Fumika could hardly contain herself, bombarding Futaba with a hurricane of questions that all quickly blended together. Akari and Haruko both giggled, right as Fumika realized that no human could keep up with her words.

"Sorry." She said, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Now, let's get down to business."

* * *

Fumika's interview with Futaba lasted for almost an hour, with Akari and Haruko watching with interest.

"And I think that's enough for one day." Fumika said. "Thank you for giving me this information, Suzuki-san."

"You're welcome, and thank you for giving me the information I needed." Akari said, bowing. "I'd like to say I'll see you again sometime, but this area's kinda seedy, so..."

"Try pretending you're a boy." Fumika suggested. "Most of the creeps here are only really interested in teenage girls."

"I'll try that." Akari said.

(Devil Arcana: Rank 2)

* * *

6/16/18 (Saturday)

They had a name, one that the Metanav identified as a Palace-bearer. Now it was up to them to figure out where their distortion was located and what it was.

The team gathered on the roof again to figure this out.

"I guess we start with the location?" Mako asked. "That is what you guys do first, right?"

"We... we only really had to do it like this with Katsushika." Akari said. "Haruko sorta threw out all the keywords while I was standing next to her on the street with the app open for Kobayashi."

"Wait, that's how you two got in there?" Morgana questioned.

"How did you think we got ourselves dragged in Kobayashi's Palace?" Haruko retorted. 

Morgana didn't respond for several seconds. "Fair enough. So, where would his distorted desires be located?"

Shinji pulled out his phone. "Shujin Academy."

Nothing.

"Dang it, I hoped that'd work."

"He's a yakuza boss. I think a single school's a little bit small for him." Haruko pointed out.

"Tokyo?" Mako suggested.

Once again, nothing. "I think that's thinking a little big." Morgana said. "A yakuza boss would only really be in charge of a section of the city."

A metaphorical lightbulb went off over Akari's head. "Shibuya!" She declared.

"Match found." The Metanav stated.

"Nice one." Haruko complimented. "So, now we just need to figure out what his distortion is."

Now that one was going to be annoying. They haven't even seen the man in question, let alone know anything about him.

"So... anyone have any ideas?" Shinji asked. "Because I'm drawin' a blank."

"What a surprise." Haruko deadpanned. "So, we know he's a yakuza boss. Maybe a bar?"

Nothing.

"Playground? Arcade?" Mako suggested.

Nothing.

Morgana sighed. "He's a yakuza boss. What does he stand to gain from Shibuya? What is he gaining right now?"

"Money and cheap labor." Akari answered. "Factory? A laboratory? A bank?"

"Match found. Beginning navigation."

Reality distorted around them, as they were brought into the Palace.

* * *

This new Palace had a distortion that was... even more intense than the last one. They found themselves out on the street, which was now just sand and dirt.

"What the hell is this?" Haruko questioned. She was already wearing her Metaverse clothes.

The Phantom Thieves were in an old-timey Wild West town, with wooden buildings spread out along the street. There were no people, just walking ATM machines, which occasionally despaired about running out of money. The sun hovered in the sky, its rays scorching the land.

"You said 'bank', right?" Morgana asked. He was in his Metaverse form.

"I mean, the Wild West had banks too, right?" Mako pointed out.

"Yeah." Shinji said, looking around. "Where's the Treasure? Shouldn't there be like, a big castle or somethin' to store that thing?"

"Not necessarily." Morgana said. "The Treasure lies in the deepest part of their cognitive world, usually representative of where their personal sanctuary is within the place their distorted desires are rooted. Anyway, give me a moment and I'll sense the Treasure for you guys."

He closed his eyes, concentrating. His ear twitched, before he suddenly looked up into the sky. "It's up _there_?!" He questioned, as the others stared up into the sky to see what he was looking at.

It was an enormous steamboat, flying in the air via a giant balloon tied to it. It was painted in an ugly grey color, and the entire thing seemed to have minor pig-like designs across its hull.

"That's gonna be a problem." Akari flatly said.

"How're we gonna get up there?" Shinji wondered, before looking to Morgana.

"I can't fly." Morgana stated.

"Then... I guess we've hit a roadblock?" Mako asked. "I don't think we're gonna be able to get up there without changing that guy's cognition."

Akari sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, Ghost's right. We're not makin' any progress today. Let's head out for now and we'll figure it out how to get up there later."

* * *

They returned to the real world, frustrated.

"So... meet up again on Monday?" Morgana suggested. "We really should figure out how we're gong to get up there sooner rather than later."

"That sounds good." Haruko said. "Call me if plans change."

Haruko and Shinji walked away.

"So, uh, I didn't get the chance to talk to you the other day about hanging out again." Mako said.

Akari opened her mouth to respond, before remembering something. "We can hang out tomorrow. I have someone I need to talk to." And then she ran off.

* * *

Akari managed to track down her target in short order.

"Hey, Futaba." Akari said, standing nervously in front of Futaba in the hall. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?" Futaba asked.

"I'm sorry for dragging you along yesterday."

"It's fine." Futaba said. "You didn't know what that place was like."

"I won't be dragging you along on any more 'missions' from now on either." Akari stated. "I don't want to get you hurt because I did something stupid."

"Just, do your research first, alright? I genuinely think you guys are doing some real good, and I want to help however I can." Futaba said.

"Got it."

(Sun Arcana: Rank 5) 

* * *

6/17/18 (Sunday)

Akari met up with Mako at an outdoor café. 

"So, what did you want to do today?" Akari asked.

"Just sit and pose. I want you to just model for me today." Mako answered, holding up her sketchbook.

"You really like drawing me." Akari noted.

"It's... you're a really pretty gi- model." Mako was blushing as she spoke. Akari noticed it, but didn't say anything. What could she really say?

Akari sat in the pose Mako requested (one foot on her chair with her arms resting on that knee), waiting for Mako to finish sketching.

"So... I'm still allowed to talk, right?" Akari asked after a couple minutes.

"Just hold the pose." Mako said, not taking her eyes off the sketchbook.

Akari didn't say anything for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to talk about. 

"What's been going on with Katsushika, by the way?" She asked.

"He's goin' to prison." Mako answered. "My Dad's making sure of that."

Akari felt relieved. At least their work isn't going to waste. "Wait, your dad's a prosecutor?"

"One of the best in the country! I think he's got an actual one hundred percent conviction rate."

Akari frowned. " _Not hard to get_." She grumbled. "So, is there anything else going on with you lately?"

Mako shook her head. "Besides our after school activities? Nothin' much."

Akari doubted that. She knew something was going on, even if she couldn't figure out what.

(Emperor Arcana: Rank 3)

* * *

6/8/18 (Monday) 

The Phantom Thieves gathered on the Shujin roof again, trying to figure out any ideas on how to get up there.

"I've been working on a grappling hook lately, but..." Morgana trailed off.

"Doesn't have the range to get up there." Haruko surmised.

"I could throw you guys up there?" Shinji suggested.

"How'd we get you up there though?" Mako asked. "It's kinda rude to leave you behind."

Akari made a noise, trying to think. She genuinely had nothing. That stupid airship was far too high up for anything they had. 

While the quintet continued to brainstorm ideas, Yui came up to the roof to ask about their progress.

"What are you guys talking about?" Yui asked.

"It's... you know. We're working on what you asked us to do, but we can't make any progress." Haruko explained.

"There's a big airship that's way too high for us to reach. If we could make it land, we could make our way through as quickly as possible and then do what's left afterward." Akari added.

Yui put a hand to her chin in thought. "To confirm, this is to reach whatever you need to change that bastard's heart, right?" She asked, receiving a nod.

"It's like his mindscape." Mako said.

"That's an interesting puzzle. You've got two worlds, one presumably affecting the second but not vice versa. The airship doesn't seem to exist in the real world..." Yui started muttering to herself, speaking too fast for Akari to make out exactly what she was saying.

After a minute of mumbling, Yui finally spoke clearly. "I've got it! Meet me in Central Street. What's the bastard's name?"

"Genya Takarada." Shinji answered. Yui ran off the moment he finished saying the name.

"Shinji, you idiot." Haruko grumbled. "She's going to do something stupid now that she has that information."

"You guys should probably pursue her." Morgana said. "I can't really stop her."

* * *

Thankfully, they managed to catch up to Yui. Tragically, nothing they said dissuaded her.

"Just stay at a distance for now and don't hang up." Yui ordered. She called Akari's phone, leaving her own phone in her pocket before heading into an alley. The Phantom Thieves watched as she approached a pair of thuggish-looking men.

"I'd like to speak to your boss." Yui stated.

The men just stared at her. "Why should we let you do that?" The shorter of the two asked.

"His name is Genya Takarada. He's the ringleader behind a series of 'part-time jobs' that have been circulating around here and Shujin Academy." Yui said. "And my father is-"

She lowered her voice for the last part, making it too hard for the team to hear.

There was a short discussion among the two thugs that eventually ended with them grabbing her, pulling her into a car.

The Phantom Thieves ran to the street, watching as the car started to drive away.

"Dammit!" Haruko hissed, before doing something stupid of her own.

She jumped into the path of a moving car, forcing the driver to stop.

"What the hell is wrong with you-" The driver yelled, rolling down his window to reveal it was Hanzo Watanabe. "Shirogane?"

"I apologize, but we really need you to drive us. Our friend, Yui Watanabe, is in that car over there," Haruko pointed off to the vehicle that was heading down the street. "And we think she's been kidnapped by the yakuza!"

" _Get in_." Hanzo stated.

The Phantom Thieves were caught off guard by that statement, but hurried themselves inside anyway. The moment everyone was in, Hanzo gunned it.

Akari desperately hoped that they'd make it before anything really bad happens.

* * *

Yui glared at Takarada from the floor, pinned down by a thug's boot.

Takarada definitely bore the image of a asshole yakuza boss. Not only was he fairly chubby, but he was also just greasy looking. Yui swore she saw him glisten in the light a moment ago. His dark brown hair was in a combover, clearly balding, and his eyes seemed especially beady.

"I find it funny that I spent so much time looking for one man, and then his daughter just waltzes to my front fucking door." Takarada said. His voice was surprisingly smooth, not befitting his appearance in the slightest. "Perhaps I'll take you as a plaything once he's dealt with."

Yui was going to fucking murder him.

And then the door was kicked off its hinges, followed shortly by Hanzo and the Phantom Thieves storming in.

"Takarada." Hanzo hissed.

"They know each other?" Akari whispered, speaking to Haruko.

Haruko shrugged. "Apparently."

"Well well, if it isn't the man of the hour. Or the former man of the hour. How many years has it been since you betrayed me?" Takarada asked. "I suppose that girl provides a timeframe. How old are you, Yui-chan?"

"It's been a little over sixteen years." Hanzo stated. "Let her go."

"Now why would I do that?" Takarada asked, pulling out his phone. He snapped a photo of Hanzo and the Phantom Thieves, catching plenty of illicit substances in the shot. "After all, I have leverage. And quite a lot of it. Those kids will have their lives ruined if I leak this image, and you won't do anything as long as I have your daughter."

"How much?" Hanzo asked. "How much money do you want?"

"Oh... just thirty million yen. For _each_ person in this room."

There was a silence as everyone processed what Takarada just said. Even Hanzo, the only adult with a job among them, would be hard pressed to scrounge up that kind of money.

"I'm giving you 'till the tenth of July." Takarada stated. "Don't think you can escape this time."

The thug pinned Yui down took his foot off her back, allowing her to stand up. 

"You're not going to get away with this." Hanzo stated, as Yui ran to him and gave him a hug. "And we're going to have a long talk once we're outside, little missy."

* * *

Once they were outside and by Hanzo's car, Yui spoke.

"So, let's head into Takarada's mind world thing." Yui said. "I think you'll find that airship is now accessible."

Hanzo just stared at her. "Yui, what are you talking about?"

"You know those Phantom Thieves that popped around my school recently?"

Hanzo turned to Haruko, who just shrugged.

"I guess the jig's up." Haruko said. "We're the Phantom Thieves, who change the hearts of bad people like that pervert teacher from Shujin or a certain plagiarizing artist. I'm a little annoyed Yui decided to reveal it, but whatever."

"I was gonna tell him anyway. Might as well get it out of the way now. Which we should also do about that mind world thing." Yui said. "Dad, you should probably get going. This'll take a while, I think."

"And miss out on seeing whatever the hell you've been talking about? I want answers." Hanzo stated.

Akari pulled out her phone, opening up the Metanav.

* * *

They returned to Takarada's Palace, the Thieves watching Yui and Hanzo's reactions to their surroundings.

"Where the hell are we?" Hanzo questioned.

"We're in Takarada's perception of Shibuya." Morgana explained. "Basically, he sees the place as effectively being what you see here."

"Only a couple places matter to him... sounds just like Takarada." Hanzo muttered, looking down at the one who spoke. "What the fuck."

"He lost his true form while wandering around other people's perceptions of places." Haruko explained. "Which somehow resulted in him turning into a cat."

Hanzo was silent, processing this information.

Yui was more just in awe of everything. She had seen similar stuff in games, but seeing it in person was a whole other level of amazing to her. "This is what Takarada sees Shibuya as..."

"So, what exactly was your plan?" Akari asked. "How exactly are we gonna get up there?" She pointed up at the airship, still hovering overhead.

Yui snapped out of her awed stupor. "That's actually pretty simple. We, especially me, are now his 'customers'. Which, if my logic checks out, should mean we're allowed entry into the airship that serves as his base."

Right on cue, a ladder descended from the airship, crashing into the ground.

"We gotta climb a ladder? All the way up there?" Akari complained.

"At least you're not wearing a skirt." Yui muttered.

"Yui, you don't have to go." Morgana said. "You've been more than helpful in getting us going. None of us want to see you getting hurt in the crossfire."

"I'm seeing this through to the end." Yui firmly stated, gesturing to the ladder. "After you. A lady has to protect her dignity somehow."

"What Morgana said applies to you too, Watanabe-san." Haruko said, addressing Hanzo. "We'll do everything we have to protect your... daughter?"

"If Yui is going, I will too. I know I can't stop her, but I'm going to do what I can to protect her." Hanzo said. "You heard that, right?"

"Yes, Dad, I heard you."

They climbed the ladder up to the airship's deck.

* * *

After a very long climb (featuring Yui mumbling some song about eating snakes), they made it up to the airship.

For the most part, the upper deck was featureless. The only things of note were a large bank sitting on it and a golden pig statue out in front of that. 

"So, I suppose we would go inside?" Yui asked.

Haruko sighed. "You shouldn't be part of 'we' in this scenario, but yes."

" _Ah, Phantom Thieves_." Takarada's voice said, coming from a series of loudspeakers on the bank's roof. " _Come in. We have much to discuss_."

"Everyone stay on guard." Morgana said. "I don't like how he's inviting us in like this."

* * *

They headed inside, taking in the lobby. Despite the old-timey exterior, it was actually quite slick and modern, like going to the fanciest bank in the country.

"Almost makes it look like Takarada's _not_ a yakuza boss extorting everyone under the sun." Haruko remarked. "Was he this bad back when you knew him, Watanab- Hanzo?"

"Considering he made a habit of offing anyone who had dirt on him? About the same." Hanzo said.

The Shadows led them into a back room, where they met Shadow Takarada for the first time.

Shadow Takarada had hot pink skin and golden eyes. He was wearing a white suit. He honestly didn't really seem that different from his real world self, despite the obvious changes. He was sitting at a small table with a briefcase resting on it.

"You've arrived _._ " Shadow Takarada said. "Let us discuss business."

"Lemme guess, we still gotta pay thirty million yen each." Mako said.

"With a fifty percent interest rate per day." He added, with a sadistic glint in his eye.

Mako, Akari, and Shinji all let out shocked gasps. "That's..." Akari muttered, trying to calculate their end payment.

"Five hundred and seventy million in interest if we don't pay at all before the deadline." Haruko said. "Which makes six hundred million per person in the end."

"There's no way we're gonna be able to make that kinda money!" Shinji exclaimed. 

"He doesn't expect us to pay it back." Yui said. "And even if we managed to somehow do so, he'll just continue to extort us until the well runs dry."

"You catch on quick, Yui-chan." Shadow Takarada hissed.

"Thank my dad for that. He taught me all about how people like you operate."

"I'll call off the debt in exchange for his life."

Dread overtook the room. This was a serious statement, with serious repercussions for denying it. 

"Not a chance." Akari stated. "I'm not gonna kill anyone. And I'm not gonna let someone get killed on my watch."

"Then I suppose you expected this. Guards, kill them. And make them suffer." Shadow Takarada snapped his fingers, causing Shadows to file into the room. 

"I think it's time to retreat!" Morgana called out, shooting the Shadows blocking the door with his slingshot and sprinting out with the others following behind him. "We can't fight and worry about those two!"

They rushed to the lobby, only for bars to block off the door outside. Of course they wouldn't be allowed to just leave.

"Yui, take this and shoot any Shadow that comes too close." Haruko stated, handing Yui her pistol. "I know it's a model, but it really works in here."

"Don't I get one?" Hanzo asked.

"You're an adult. I can trust you to be able to sort of take care of yourself. And you probably have one on hand anyway."

Hanzo drew a model pistol of his own, the same kind as Haruko's. "You know me too well, kid."

Shadow Takarada walked towards them with two particularly large Shadows flanking him. "You know, Yui-chan, I was considering giving you a special spot as my personal slave."

Yui froze in utter horror at what she heard. "You-"

"You've got such a beautiful body. Boobs the perfect size, a delightfully round ass, and-"

Yui shot at him, just to get him to shut up.

It didn't really do anything but annoy him. "Oh. So that's how it is. I suppose killing you will spite Hanzo just fine. After you backed out on our deal to raise that stupid girl, I dreamed of the day I would find you again. I devised new and exciting ways to torture you, but none felt right. Nothing was personal enough. But defiling your daughter? Nothing would make you squirm more. But alas, she decided to make it harder on herself."

Both Yui and Hanzo snapped.

" _Ah, you've reached a turning point._ " Yui heard her own voice say, echoing within her mind. " _The time is now, and the stage is set. Will you simply lie down and take your punishment, or will you fight back? Are you going to make a difference in your world, or will you remain content merely saving the virtual one?_ "

A simple black mask appeared over Yui's face. "No. I'm going to fight. Here and now." She grabbed hold of it with both hands, tearing it off in one visceral motion.

Hanzo's awakening occurred at the same time, his own voice speaking to him. " _Took ya long enough. That bastard wants you dead, and I don't think you're the kind of guy to just sit there and take it. Prove me right, why don't ya?_ "

A dark, snake-like mask appeared on Hanzo's face. "With pleasure." He grabbed it with one hand, swiftly ripping it from his face.

" _Houdini_!"

" _Black Bart_!"

Yui was engulfed in blue flame, replacing her uniform with a new outfit. It was styled after a magician, complete with a black top hat. She wore a dark purple vest with a pink bowtie, a white undershirt, and dark pants. A flowing white cape hung from her shoulders. She held an umbrella in her hand, her apparent weapon of choice.

Her Persona was a somewhat androgynous humanoid, colored various shades of purple. It was wearing a straitjacket with snapped straps, and had its lower body encased in a barrel. "I am thou, thou are I. All the world's a stage, and you're the star of this performance."

Hanzo's outfit change was similarly explosive, replacing his clothes with his image of rebellion. He wore a black leather jacket with a snake emblazoned on the back. spiked shoulderpads, and dark jeans. As for his Persona...

"Is that a Persona?" Morgana questioned.

"It took the form of a bike..." Haruko muttered, astonished.

Black Bart took the form of a chopper-style motorcycle with stagecoach-like wheels. The tires themselves were spiked, cracking the floor with every revolution. A snake's tail stuck out the back. Hanzo smirked, revving the engine. "I hear you loud and clear, Black Bart. Let's hit the redline!"

He did a donut in place, before unleashing a blast of nuclear energy that sent the approaching Shadows flying. The Shadows melted, reforming into a group of a strange floating weasels.

Yui stepped forward, twirling her umbrella around. "I guess I should show off too, huh? Houdini, blow them away!" Houdini's eyes flashed, before a strange psychic wave caught the Shadows and slammed them into the ground.

"Took ya long enough." Akari remarked, summoning Caulfield. "How's it feel?"

Yui dodged a gale-force blast of wind, rushing into the fray and striking one of the Wind Weasels (as Akari had mentally nicknamed them) with her umbrella. She stepped back just in time for Mako to slice through an approaching Shadow.

"Honestly, it's exhilarating." Yui said. "You guys do this stuff regularly?"

Akari shrugged, unleashing a blast of dark power upon the Wind Weasels. "Basically? This is only a third big target, so it's not quite business as usual yet."

Hanzo sped around the room like a crazed madman on wheels, crushing any Shadow that dared to be in his path. He skidded to a stop next to Haruko, a clear grin on his face.

"Not bad." Haruko complimented, summoning Mordred and firing a barrage of icicles at the Shadows.

"I'm just getting started!" Hanzo declared, before hitting the gas and driving straight back into the horde of Shadows.

More Shadows kept moving in to replace the ones the Thieves killed. "This is bad..." Morgana muttered, unleashing a series of lightning bolts down upon the Shadows. "We need to get out of here!"

"Dad, smash the bars!" Yui hollered. "Let's make a break for it!"

Hanzo did a u-turn, ramming through the bars blocking off the exit and skidding to a stop. Morgana transformed into the Monabus, the rest of the Thieves (plus Yui) boarding in a flash. Akari hit the gas, speeding out of there and leaving the Shadows eating her dust.

* * *

They gathered in a diner to discuss everything.

"And that's pretty much it." Haruko concluded. "I know it sounds absolutely insane, but assure you it's the truth."

"I still can't believe it." Hanzo said. 

"You'll get used to it." Morgana said.

"Like the talking cat. Are you sure you actually exist?"

"Of course I do! And I'm not a cat!"

Akari sighed. "Are you guys gonna join us? We could definitely use your help, especially against someone like Takarada. I'm not gonna force you guys to do anything, and if you wanna break off after Takarada's dealt with, that's fine too."

"I got you all involved in this, so I need to correct that." Yui said. "I'm in."

"And what about you, Hanzo?" Haruko asked. "I swear on my life that we will protect Yui, even if you are not present."

"I'm in. Sounds like a nice way to spend my time besides running the shop, and I can get back at Takarada while doing it." Hanzo said.

"Just remember we've got a rule that says we can't go after anybody we don't all agree on." Mako said.

"Makes sense. Tries to at least rein in the team and keep them focused on a single goal. Anything else I should know?"

"We don't kill people." Shinji stated.

"Got it." Hanzo nodded.

"Now then, let's take care of Takarada." Yui said.

"Patience, Yui." Haruko stated. "It's Akari's decision on when we infiltrate."

Akari paused to think. "We can do it tomorrow. This is a little more urgent than our usual stuff."

"Then let's meet up at that walkway that overlooked Central Street!" Mako suggested. "It's close by and isn't super suspicious for a bunch of people to be hanging out around."

"Sounds like a perfect hideout, especially since Hanzo can't really go to Shujin in the same way the rest of us can." Morgana said.

"Well, I think that's everything. For now. We'll teach you guys everything when we infiltrate tomorrow." Akari said.

"I'm looking forward to it." Yui said.

(Empress Arcana: Rank 4)

(Hanged Man Arcana: Rank 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yui's Phantom Thief design was based on the concept of a magician, as stated during the narrative.
> 
> Harry Houdini was the world's most famous magician, knowing for escape acts that boggled the mind. He spent much of his later years trying to debunk claims of psychic powers.
> 
> In gameplay, Yui functions somewhat similarly to Ann as the strongest mage in the party, albeit with defense debuffs to inflict on enemies instead of attack debuffs. She uses psychokinetic damage for her magic.
> 
> Her All-Out Attack quote is: "Game over."
> 
> Hanzo's Phantom Thief design is designed after a biker. There really isn't much special to talk about.
> 
> Black Bart was an infamous stagecoach robber who wielded a shotgun he never fired. He left poems at the scene of some of his robberies, akin to a calling card.
> 
> In battle, Hanzo acts as a hard-single target damage dealer, especially for gun damage. He inflicts agility debuffs and heals to round out his kit. He uses nuclear damage for magic.
> 
> His All-Out attack quote is: "Eat my dust."
> 
> Confidants:
> 
> Fool, Igor: Rank 5
> 
> Magician, Morgana: Rank 4
> 
> Lovers, Haruko Shirogane: Rank 6
> 
> Moon, Shinji Taro: Rank 6
> 
> Hierophant, Gin Mori: Rank 5
> 
> Death, Ichiko Oshiro: Rank 3
> 
> ???, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts: Rank 3
> 
> Judgement, Eikichi Fujinara: Rank 2
> 
> Sun, Futaba Sakura: Rank 5
> 
> Empress, Yui Watanabe: Rank 3
> 
> Hanged Man, Hanzo Watanabe: Rank 2
> 
> Devil, Fumika Fumizuki: Rank 2
> 
> Emperor, Mako Fujinara: Rank 3
> 
> Strength, Justine and Caroline: Rank 2
> 
> Star, Rin Suzuki: Rank 7
> 
> Justice, Eiko Akechi: Rank 1

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to comment and leave Kudos! It gives me fuel to keep writing.


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